Anderson is a surname deriving from a patronymic meaning "son of Ander/Andrew" (itself derived from the Greek name "Andreas", meaning "man" or "manly").

In Scotland, the name first appeared in records of the 14th century as "Fitz Andreu" (meaning son of Andrew), and developed in various forms by the Scottish Gaelic patronymic of "MacGhilleAndrais" which means "servant of St. Andrew". Variations of this name were MacAndrew, Gillanders and Anderson. The name soon migrated to other parts of Scotland due to the popularity of the name "Andrew" as associated with the Patron Saint of Scotland, and the largest grouping lies in the north-east of Scotland from the Mearns through Aberdeenshire, Banff, and Moray.

In England, the very first recorded spelling of the family name is probably that of William Andreu, which was dated 1237, in the ancient charters of the county of Buckinghamshire, England, in the year 1237.^{[citation needed]}

Anderson is the eighth most frequent surname in Scotland and 52nd most common in England.^[1]

In Sweden, the form Andersson is the most common surname along with Johansson.^[2]

In Norway and Denmark, the form Andersen is quite common, being the fifth most common surname in both countries^[3][4]–see Andersen. It's also found to a lesser extent in northern Germany, e.g. the German vocalist Lale Andersen (1905–1972).^[5]

The Scandinavian forms Andersson and Andersen were often rendered as Anderson by immigrants to the English-speaking countries, whereby the latter form became one of the most common surnames in Anglophone North America. The name was the eleventh most common surname reported in the 1990 United States census, accounting for 0.3% of the population.^[6] It was the twelfth most common surname reported in the 2000 United States Census.^[7] Anderson is also one of the most popular surnames in Canada.^[8]

Other spelling variations include: Andison, Andersonne, Andersoun, Andirsoone, Andresoun, Androson, Andirston, Andresson, Andrewson, and Andresen.

• Andersen
• Anderson (given name)
• Clan Anderson
• Earl of Yarborough, Peerage created in the United Kingdom (Anderson-Pelham family)
• Lord Anderson (disambiguation), multiple people
• Anderson Baronets, nine British baronetcies, all extinct
• Assassination of Danilo Anderson (1966-2004), Venezuelan prosecutor murdered in 2004