Frequency: (53787)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
1. Scandinavian: respelling of Norwegian and Danish Carlsen or Swedish Carlsson.
2. Dutch and German: patronymic from Carl. See also Karlson.
GIVEN NAMES: Scandinavian 4%. Erik (71), Nels (20), Lennart (18), Nils (14), Sven (14), Helmer (13), Iver (9), Berger (8), Erland (8), Lars (8), Anders (7), Evald (7).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
