Nilsson is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

surname and the fourth most common surname in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. The name is a

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

meaning "Nils's son". Nils was a very common name, especially in 19th century Sweden.

Geographical distribution

As of 2014, 89.8% of all known bearers of the surname ''Nilsson'' were residents of

, 2.6% of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, 2.0% of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and 1.4% of

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. In Sweden, the frequency of the surname was higher than national average (1:58) in the following counties: * 1.

Skåne Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne C ...

(1:26) * 2.

Blekinge Blekinge (, old da, Bleking) is one of the traditional Swedish provinces (), situated in the southern coast of the geographic region of Götaland, in southern Sweden. It borders Småland, Scania and the Baltic Sea. It is the country's second ...

(1:30) * 3.

Kalmar Kalmar (, , ) is a city in the southeast of Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. It had 36,392 inhabitants in 2010 and is the seat of Kalmar Municipality. It is also the capital of Kalmar County, which comprises 12 municipalities with a total of ...

(1:33) * 4.

Värmland Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...

(1:37) * 5.

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), known in English as North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swede ...

(1:38) * 6.

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Brömsebro ...

(1:39) * 7.

Kronoberg Kronoberg County (; sv, Kronobergs län) is a county or ''län'' in southern Sweden. Kronoberg is one of three counties in the province of Småland. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar, and Blekinge. Its capital is t ...

(1:39) * 8.

Jämtland Jämtland (; no, Jemtland or , ; Jamtish: ''Jamtlann''; la, Iemptia) is a historical province () in the centre of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders Härjedalen and Medelpad to the south, Ångermanland to the east, Lapland to the north a ...

(1:46) * 9.

Gotland Gotland (, ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a province, county, municipality, and diocese. The province includes the islands of Fårö and Gotska Sandön to the ...

(1:46) * 10.

Västerbotten Västerbotten (), known in English as West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in the north of Sweden, bordering Ångermanland, Lapland, North Bothnia, and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is known for the cheese named after the provi ...

(1:52)

People

Anders Nilsson (disambiguation) Anders Nilsson may refer to: * Anders Nilsson (composer) (born 1954), Swedish composer * Anders Nilsson (curler) (born 1957), Swedish curler * Anders Nilsson (director) (born 1963), Swedish director, writer and photographer * Anders Nilsson (ic ...

Andreas Nilsson (disambiguation) Andreas Nilsson may refer to: * Andreas Nilsson (film director), Swedish film director * Andreas Nilsson (actor), Swedish actor and voice actor * Andreas Nilsson (handballer) (born 1990), Swedish handball player * Andreas Nilsson (footballer) (1910 ...

Anna Q. Nilsson Anna Quirentia Nilsson (March 30, 1888 – February 11, 1974) was a Swedish-American actress who achieved success in American silent movies. Early life Nilsson was born in Ystad, Sweden in 1888. Her middle name Quirentia is derived from her ...

(1888–1974), a Swedish actor *

Anton Nilson Anton Nilson (11 November 1887 – 16 August 1989) was a Swedish terrorist and militant socialist who was convicted of murder for a fatal bombing in 1908. Nilson was born and grew up in a peasant region in Skåne, the southernmost province o ...

(1887–1989), a Swedish Communist, active in the Russia Revolution *

Aurora Nilsson Aurora Nilsson, also known as ''Rora Asim Khan'' (1 January 1894 – 1972), was a Swedish writer who became known for her autobiographical depiction, ''Flykten från harem'' ("Escape from Harem"), about her experiences in Afghanistan during he ...

(1894–1972), a Swedish writer * Bengt Nilsson (born 1954), a Swedish actor *

Birgit Nilsson Märta Birgit Nilsson (17 May 1918 – 25 December 2005) was a celebrated Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide répertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner a ...

(1918–2005), a Swedish soprano *

Bo Nilsson Bo Nilsson (1 May 1937 – 25 June 2018) was a Swedish composer and lyricist. Career Bo Nilsson was born in Skellefteå, and first drew notice as a composer at the age of 18 when his ''Zwei Stücke'' (Two Pieces) for flute, bass clarinet, perc ...

(1937–2018) a Swedish composer and lyricist *

Bob Nilsson Robert "Bob" Nilsson was the oldest of the four Nilsson brothers and one of the greatest relievers in the history of Australian baseball leagues. Bob's brother Dave Nilsson was the first Australian All-Star in MLB, his brother Gary Nilsson play ...

(born 1960), an Australian minor league and ABL pitcher * Cecilia Nilsson (born 1979), a Swedish hammer thrower *

Christina Nilsson Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, also called Christine Nilsson (20 August 1843 – 22 November 1921) was a Swedish dramatic coloratura soprano. Possessed of a pure and brilliant voice of first three then two and a half octaves tra ...

(1843–1921), a Swedish operatic soprano *

Dave Nilsson David Wayne Nilsson (born 14 December 1969) is an Australian retired professional baseball catcher and current manager of the Australia national baseball team and the Brisbane Bandits. He played for Major League Baseball's Milwaukee Brewers f ...

(born 1969), an Australian professional baseball player, coach, manager * Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 1987) a Swedish singer, songwriter known as

Tove Lo Ebba Tove Elsa Nilsson (born 29 October 1987), known professionally as Tove Lo (), is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She has been called "Sweden's darkest pop export" by ''Rolling Stone.'' She is known for her raw, grunge-influenced take o ...

Fredrik Olaus Nilsson Fredrik Olaus Nilsson (28 July 1809 – 21 or 24 October 1881), also known as F. O. Nilsson, was a pioneer Swedish Baptist pastor and missionary who founded Sweden's first free church, a Baptist congregation. He married Ulrika Sophia Olsson (1812 ...

(1809–1881), a Swedish Baptist pioneer *

Gary Nilsson Gary Nilsson (born 28 November 1963 in Brisbane, Australia) is a former Australian baseball player who played as a pitcher for the Lakeland Tigers in 1984 and in the Australian Baseball League from 1989 to 1996. He is the brother of former All-St ...

(born 1963), an Australian minor league and ABL pitcher *

Gunnar Nilsson Gunnar Axel Arvid Nilsson (20 November 1948 – 20 October 1978) was a Swedish racing driver. Before entering Formula One, he won the 1975 British Formula 3 Championship. Nilsson entered 32 Formula One Grand Prix races, qualifying for all of t ...

(1948–1978), a Swedish racing car driver *

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ove ...

(1941–1994), an American singer and songwriter, often known simply as ''Nilsson'' *

Ida Göthilda Nilsson Ida Göthilda Nilsson (7 February 1840 – 24 December 1920) was a Swedish artist (sculptor). Daughter of the professor and zoologist in Lund, Sven Nilsson, she was active as her father's assistant. Nilsson was also a student of the Danish art ...

(1840–1920), a Swedish sculptor *

Ida Nilsson Ida Nilsson (born February 8, 1981) is a Swedish long-distance runner who also competes in ski mountaineering. In 2003 – 2006 she won a total of ten gold medals in Swedish championships in track & field and cross country running, plus two NCAA ...

(born 1981), Swedish trailrunner and

ski mountaineer Ski mountaineering (abbreviated to skimo) is a skiing discipline that involves climbing mountains either on skis or carrying them, depending on the steepness of the ascent, and then descending on skis. There are two major categories of equipmen ...

Ingemar Nilsson Ingemar Nilsson (born 1956) is a Swedish politician and former member of the Riksdag, the national legislature. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he represented Västernorrland County between October 2010 and August 2021. Nilsson studied ...

(born 1956), Swedish politician *

Janne Nilsson Janne Nilsson (1882–1938) was a Swedish politician who was a member of the Parliament and the minister of defense between 1936 and 1938. Biography Nilsson was born in Hörby on 17 May 1882. He was a member of the Agrarian Party. He was appo ...

(1882–1938), a Swedish politician *

Jesse Nilsson Jesse Allan Nilsson (December 9, 1977 - April 25, 2003) was a Canadian actor who starred in several television programmes, one of his notable and last parts being Gabriel Patterson on '' Adventure Inc.'' Career Nilsson was active in drama and fin ...

(1977–2003), a Canadian actor *

Joakim Nilsson (disambiguation) Joakim Nilsson may refer to: *Joakim Nilsson (footballer, born 1966) Hans Peter Joakim Nilsson (born 31 March 1966) is a Swedish former professional association football, footballer who played as a Midfielder (association football), midfielder ...

* Jonna Emily Lee Nilsson (born 1981), a Swedish singer *

Kent Nilsson Kent Åke "Kenta" Nilsson (born 31 August 1956) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the Winnipeg Jets, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, ...

(born 1956), a Swedish ice hockey player *

Kjell Nilsson (disambiguation) Kjell Nilsson can refer to: * Kjell Nilsson (actor) (born 1949), Swedish actor who relocated to Australia * Kjell Nilsson (cyclist) (born 1962), Swedish cyclist * Kjell Nilsson (footballer) (active 1957-58), Swedish footballer * Kjell Nilsson (Swed ...

Kristina Nilsson Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, also called Christine Nilsson (20 August 1843 – 22 November 1921) was a Swedish dramatic coloratura soprano. Possessed of a pure and brilliant voice of first three then two and a half octaves trai ...

(born 1965), Swedish politician *

Lars Nilsson (designer) Lars Nilsson (born 1966) is a Swedish fashion designer and member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America who has worked with fashion houses, including Christian Lacroix, Balmain, Christian Dior, Ralph Lauren, Bill Blass, Nina Ricci ...

(born 1966), a Swedish fashion designer *

Lennart Nilsson Lennart Nilsson (24 August 1922 – 28 January 2017) was a Swedish photographer noted for his photographs of human embryos and other medical subjects once considered unphotographable, and more generally for his extreme macro photography. He ...

(1922–2017), a Swedish photographer *

(born 1944), Swedish politician *

Lina Nilsson Lina Therese Nilsson (born 17 June 1987) is a Swedish retired footballer who played for FC Rosengård and the Sweden national team. Normally a full-back, she can also play as a wide midfielder. She joined Malmö FF Dam in 2006 and has remained ...

, a Swedish football player *

Malin Nilsson Malin Linda Maria Nilsson (born 20 October 1973 in Malmö, Skåne) is a former freestyle swimmer from Sweden, who competed for her native country at two consequentive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left ...

(born 1973), a Swedish freestyle swimmer * Magnus Nilsson (born 1984), a Swedish chef *

Martin P. Nilsson Martin Persson Nilsson ( Stoby, Kristianstad County, 12 July 1874 – Lund, 7 April 1967) was a Swedish philologist, mythographer, and a scholar of the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman religious systems. In his studies he combined literary evidence w ...

(1874–1967), a Swedish philologist and historian of religion *

Mats Nilsson Mats Nilsson (born December 5, 1983) is a Swedish grappler and retired mixed martial artist. Nilsson formerly competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the three time FILA Grappling world champ ...

(born 1956), a Swedish Air Force officer *

Molly Nilsson Molly Lilly Maria Nilsson (born December 14, 1984) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and musician. She is the owner of an independent record label, Dark Skies Association, founded in 2009. As of 2004, Nilsson resides in Berlin. Early life Nilsso ...

(born 1984), a Swedish singer-songwriter and musician *

Nils Nilsson (disambiguation) Nils Nilsson may refer to: * Nils Nilsson (art director) Nils Nilsson (1919–1981) was a Swedish art director. Frank p.70 He worked on the design of film sets on over sixty productions, many of them shot at the Centrumateljéerna Studios of San ...

Norma Jean Nilsson Norma Jean Nilsson (born January 1, 1938) is a former child actress in old-time radio and films.DeLong, Thomas A. (1996). ''Radio Stars: An Illustrated Biographical Dictionary of 953 Performers, 1920 through 1960''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. ...

(born 1938), American actress *

Pål Nils Nilsson Inge Pål-Nils Nilsson (July 7, 1929 – May 25, 2002), was a Swedish photographer and filmmaker active from the 1950s to the 1990s. Early life Pål-Nils Nilsson was the son of sculptor Robert Nilsson (1894–1984) and celebrated textile artist B ...

(1929–2002), Swedish photographer and filmmaker *

Robert Nilsson Robert Åke Nilsson (born January 10, 1985) is a Canadian-born Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He last played with the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). Playing career Nilsson began his career in the Elitserien with Leks ...

(born 1985), an ice hockey player *

Roland Nilsson Nils Lennart Roland Nilsson (born 27 November 1963) is a Swedish professional football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg. As a player, Nilsson played 116 games for Sweden, making ...

(born 1963), a Swedish football player * Svante Nilsson (1460–1512), a regent of Sweden *

Sven Nilsson (disambiguation) Sven Nilsson may refer to: * Sven Nilsson (zoologist), Swedish zoologist and archaeologist * Sven Nilsson (footballer), Swedish football player and manager *Sven Gösta Nilsson Sven Gösta Nilsson (January 14, 1927, Kristianstad – April 24, 197 ...

Tommy Nilsson Erik Tommy Nilsson (born 11 March 1960) is a Swedish singer, songwriter and actor. Career In the late 1970s, Nilsson was the singer of Swedish heavy metal band Horizont. The group released two albums but a French producer, Yves Accary, cont ...

(born 1960), a Swedish musician * Ulf Nilsson (1948–2021), Swedish writer * Zandor Nilsson (1913–1973), a Swedish chess player

References

{{surname Swedish-language surnames Patronymic surnames Surnames from given names

Geographical distribution

People

See also

References