Show ContentsLarson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origin of the distinguished Larson family can be traced to the historic Scandinavian country of Sweden. The surname Larson is derived from the personal name Lars, which is a pet form of the name Lawrence. This name is in turn derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which literally means man from Laurentium, a town in Italy named for its laurels or bay trees. The popularity of this name in medieval Europe is due to the exploits of a saint who was martyred at Rome in the 3rd century. The suffix -sen and its variants are translatable as son of.

Larson Ranking

In the United States, the name Larson is the 241st most popular surname with an estimated 109,428 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Larson is ranked the 766th most popular surname with an estimated 6,988 people with that name. 2


Larson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Larson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lars Larson, who arrived in New York, NY in 1825 3
  • L Larson, aged 24, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1846 3
  • Johannes Larson, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1847 3
  • Barth Larson, who arrived in Mississippi in 1849 3
  • Samuel Larson, aged 45, who arrived in New York in 1850 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Larson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Lars Andrew Larson, who landed in Wisconsin in 1907 3
  • Esten Larson, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1913 3
  • Mads Larson, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1914 3
  • Nels Larson, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1923 3
  • Axel Werner Larson, who landed in Alabama in 1923 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Larson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Larson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomaston Larson, aged 40, a farmer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Clarence" in 1875
  • Maren Larson, aged 39, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Clarence" in 1875
  • Thomasten Larson, aged 10, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Clarence" in 1875
  • Edward Larson, aged 7, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Clarence" in 1875
  • Launtz Larson, aged 3, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Clarence" in 1875
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Larson (post 1700) +

  • Paul Leroy Larson (1932-2022), American NFL football player for Chicago Cardinals (1954–1957) and the Oakland Raiders (1960)
  • Bruce Larson (d. 2021), American basketball coach of the Arizona Wildcats from 1961 to 1972
  • Jerry L. Larson (1936-2018), American jurist, Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court (1978-2008)
  • William E. "Bill" Larson (1938-2015), American football player who played with the Boston Patriots in 1960
  • Jack Edward Larson (1928-2015), American actor, screenwriter and producer, best known for his portrayal of Jimmy Olsen on the TV series The Adventures of Superman
  • Kate Clifford Larson, American historian and Harriet Tubman scholar
  • Walter Larson, American businessman and founder of Larson International, a designer and manufacturer of amusement rides based in Plainview, Texas
  • Major Donald A. Larson (d. 1944), USAAF fighter pilot and ace killed in action on 4th of August 1944, eponym of the Larson Air Force Base, Washington
  • Major-General Westside T. Larson (1892-1977), American Commanding General of the VIII Fighter Command, High Wycombe, England (1945) 4
  • Nathan Larson (b. 1970), American film composer, musician, and author
  • ... (Another 121 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Nels Larson (d. 1914), Swedish Third Class Passenger from Gothenburg, Sweden who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 5
  • Mr. Anton Larson (1910-1914), German Third Class Passenger from Hamburg, Germany who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 5
  • Mrs. Patrina Laura Larson (1868-1914), née Norberg German Third Class Passenger from Hamburg, Germany who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 5
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Leonard Carl Larson, American Fireman Third Class from Washington, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 6


Suggested Readings for the name Larson +

  • Life in Nebraska and our Heritage by Ellen Larson.
  • The Larson Legacy by Lee Grippen.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Westside Larson. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Larson/Westside_T./USA.html
  5. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  6. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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