Origin & History

Patronymic surname meaning 'son of Magnus', from the Latin 'Magnus', meaning 'great'. The name entered Scandinavia through the influence of Charlemagne (Carolus Magnus, Charles the Great), and was borne by numerous Scandinavian kings, including Magnus the Good of Norway and Denmark and Magnus Ladulas of Sweden. The royal and ecclesiastical prestige of Magnus ensured its widespread use as a given name throughout medieval Sweden and Norway, and Magnusson is accordingly common in both countries. In Iceland the cognate Magnusson remains a living patronymic.