Meaning & History
Eliasson is a Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Elias". As a patronymic, it derives from the given name Elias, which itself is a form of the Hebrew name Elijah (meaning "my God is Yahweh"). In the Old Testament, Elijah was a 9th-century BC prophet who challenged King Ahab and Queen Jezebel over their worship of the Canaanite god Ba'al. The name Elias came into use in various European languages through the Greek New Testament, where it appears as the Greek form of Elijah. In Sweden, the suffix -sson indicates "son of," so Eliasson literally means "son of Elias."
While primarily associated with Sweden, comparable surnames exist in other Scandinavian and Slavic cultures. Variants include the Norwegian Eliassen, the Macedonian Iliev (with feminine Ilieva), and the Serbian Ilić. In English, the related names Ellis (a derived given name) and Ellison ("son of Ellis") are also linked.
Notable bearers of the surname Eliasson include Swedish diplomat Jan Eliasson (born 1940), who served as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and as Sweden's Minister for Foreign Affairs; Swedish composer Anders Eliasson (1947–2013); Swedish ice hockey player Emma Eliasson (born 1989); and Icelandic author Gyrðir Elíasson (born 1964). The name is particularly common in Sweden and has also spread to other Nordic countries through emigration.
Related Names
Sources: Wikipedia — Eliasson