Anderson is a modified form of Andrewson, meaning son of Andrew. Andrewson certainly passed through many forms before it finally became formulated as Anderson-this can be seen from the several ‘in-between’ derivatives which remain to this day (especially in Scotland). These include Andison (almost certainly derived from the shortened form of Andrew, Andy), Androson, Andrisoune, and even Endherson (though not Henderson which, as mentioned previously, comes from Henryson).

The first name Andrew comes from the Ancient Greek, where it means ‘manly’. It has thus been in use for well over 2,000 years. The most famous Andrew is certainly one of the earliest recorded-St Andrew was Christ’s first disciple. Legend has it that the remains of St Andrew were brought to Scotland in the fourth century by St Regulus. True or not, St Andrew is now firmly established as the patron saint and knightly champion of Scotland, his diagonal white cross featuring on the Scottish flag. Naturally enough, the name Andrew has long been popular in Scotland, its popularity first coming to the fore in the twelfth century. Thereafter, the name Anderson became prominent. Though the Scots haven’t had it all their own way; the most concentrated populations of Andrews are found in the West Country, in Cornwall and Devon, while concentrations of Andersons are found slightly further east in Dorset and Hampshire.

The earliest British mention of any name connected with Andrew or Anderson is in the Domesday Book, where a certain Andreas is mentioned in 1086. It is nearly 200 years later before the first Andersons begin to make their recorded appearance. In the early-fifteenth-century Scottish records there are several Andrewsons and Androsouns, while in England, in the venerable-sounding Register of the Guild of the Corpus Christi of the City of York, one Androson appears in 1455 and an Androwson in 1482.

Owing to its popularity in Scotland, the name Anderson has proliferated wherever Scots have emigrated. This accounts for the large number of Andersons in New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. However, many of the American Andersons are of Swedish origin (Anderson is the most prevalent name in the Stockholm telephone directory.) To a lesser degree, Andersons are indigenous all over Europe. The origin of the name is the same, and its pan- European popularity undoubtedly stems from St Andrew (who was also patron saint of Russia). The name Andrew has many European forms-ranging from the French André (as in the French writer/philosopher, André Malraux) to the German Andreas (as in Andreas Baader, of the notorious Baader—Meinhof Gang). Curiously, despite the name’s popularity, there have been no major European kings called Andrew. Neither Scotland nor England has had a King Andrew, though the Queen’s second son is so named. Also, there have been no popes named Andrew.

Andersons have been involved in a number of record-breaking crimes. George ‘Dutch’ Anderson pulled off a 1921 mail van stick-up which yielded over £500,000; Charlie Anderson took part in the first Wild West train robbery (1866); and ‘Boston Pete’ Anderson successfully talked a reclusive miser out of £850,000 in 1866 and sensibly retired.

The Anderson Shelter, invented by one-time British Chancellor of the Exchequer John Anderson, was a simple affair which could easily be installed (as over 3 million were) in a back garden. It saved countless lives during World War II air raids.

Andersen’s disease is one of five types of hereditary glycogen- storage diseases. Metabolic problems affect the liver, spleen, muscles and lymph nodes, the liver ultimately deteriorates and the patient dies.

Andersonville Prison in Sumter County, Georgia, was notorious during America’s Civil War. In the two years of its existence (1864—5) this log stockade of at most 26 acres housed over 32,000 Northern prisoners, half of whom died.

Andersons have long figured prominently in the arts. Hans Christian Andersen (1805—75) created some of the world’s best-loved fairy tales. America’s Sherwood Anderson (1876— 1941) and Maxwell Anderson (1888—1959) were prize­winning poets and novelists, while Marian Anderson (b.1902) is a famed black opera star.

There are towns called Anderson in the United Kingdom, Argentina and the United States, rivers of this name in Canada and the United States, and islands so named in Canada and Australia.

With about 38,000 namesakes, Anderson is Scotland’s 8th most popular surname. Thus about one out of every 140 Scots is named Anderson. (The name is not common enough throughout England and Wales to be counted separately.) Anderson is notably popular in and around Edinburgh, where an estimated one in about 120 families bears the name, and in Glasgow where the figure is about one in 160. Around the world, Andersons are most common in Vancouver (one in 290 families), Wellington (one in 410), Auckland (one in 420) and Melbourne (one in 425). The United States has more Andersons than the entire population of Glasgow-an estimated total of just over 867,000 makes this their 9th most popular surname.