Surname Rickertsen - Meaning and Origin

Rickertsen: What does the surname Rickertsen mean?

The last name Rickertsen (or Rickertson) is of German origin, derived from the personal surname Rickert, which is composed of the German elements "ric" (ruler, leader) and "hard" (hardy, brave). As such, the surname can be interpreted as meaning "strong ruler" or "brave leader". This is likely the type of sentiment or connotation intended by the early German bearers of the surname.

The term first appeared in records as early as the 13th century, when a family of Rickerts raised horses in the area now known as East Frisia. This family was singled out in the records for their horsemanship skills, and it is speculated that this skill may have been what earned them their surname.

Today, Rickertsen is most commonly found in Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Variations include Richardsen, Richerese, Richerson, Rickards, Richardesen, and Rikerse.

Notably, a branch of the Rickertsen family is attributed with founding København (Copenhagen) in Denmark and establishing the present-day royal family of the country.

In summary, the last name Rickertsen is of German origin, and means “strong ruler” or “brave leader”. Its early bearers were noted for their horsemanship skills, and it is now primarily found in Scandinavia. It is associated with the founding of the city of Copenhagen and the royal family of Denmark.

Rickertsen: Where does the name Rickertsen come from?

Rickertsen is a Scandinavian surname predominantly found in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden today. It is also known by various spellings, such as Rikertsen, Rikertsen, Rikertzen, and Rickardtzen. In Denmark, it is the 22nd most common surname with an estimated 7,300 people sharing it. In Norway, it is the 248th most common surname with an estimated 400 people. In Sweden, the distribution of the surname is much more uneven, with 338 people in South Sweden, 180 in East Sweden, and 144 in West Sweden.

Outside of the Nordic countries, Rickertsen is a fairly rare surname, with the majority of currently living individuals who carry it being of Scandinavian origin. In the United States, the name is concentrated around the states of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin in the upper Midwest, possibly due to immigration patterns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are a few other scattered cases throughout the country as well. It is similarly uncommon in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and other parts of the world with Scandinavian diasporas.

Variations of the surname Rickertsen

The Rickertsen surname is a patronymic German name which is related to the old Germanic personal name "Richard". The variants and spellings of Rickertsen are Richert, Rickard, Rickards, Rickardt, Rickert, Reichert, and Rikert. Additionally, there are some variants of the Rickertsen surname which are found in other countries with different spelling variations such as Ritchert, Reicherts, Rikardt, Rickerts, Ricardt, Rikerts, Reicher, Reicherr, Reicherd, Reichardt, Reicherdts, and Reker.

The variation in spelling of the Rickertsen surname can be attributed to the many languages spoken in Europe during history. During the time of the Holy Roman Empire, Latin was used in the upper classes for record-keeping and literacy, which explains why the Latinized version of the French name "Ricard" became "Reichert", and the German "Richart" became "Rickert".

Additionally, low literacy rates, local dialects, and varying spellings by people recording the name can account for some of the variance in the spelling of the name, as well as misspellings.

In some cases, the spelling of the surname varied from generation to generation, with children sometimes spelling the surname differently than their parents. As a result, the Rickertsen surname has taken on many variations and spellings over the centuries.

Famous people with the name Rickertsen

• Kris Rickertsen: Kris Rickertsen is a Norwegian professional rally driver. He won the Rally Raid World Championship in 2016.
• Heinrikh Rickertsen: He was a Dutch chess grandmaster and a senior chess editor for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. He also competed in a number of tournaments including the London Chess Classic in 2011.
• Jee Rickertsen: Jee Rickertsen is the production manager at the Mark Gordon Company in Los Angeles. She has worked on various movies and television series including Outlander, Grey’s Anatomy and Limitless.
• Carl Rickertsen: Carl Rickertsen was a Norwegian journalist and newspaper editor. He was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Aftenposten from 1964 to 1976.
• Marius Rickertsen: Marius Rickertsen is a Norwegian professional basketball player who currently plays for BC Zaporozhye in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague.
• Ronny Rickertsen: He is a German football manager and former player who currently serves as the manager of Dynamo Dresden in the German fourth tier.
• John Rickertsen: John Rickertsen is an American actor and producer. He has appeared in a number of television series and films, including Lethal Weapon 2 and 3, The Glass House and Murder in the First.

Other surnames

RickertRickerts