Madsen Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Madsen last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Madsen last name
Meaning of the Madsen last name: son of Mads (Matthew). Madsen is a Danish and Norwegian surname meaning "son of Mads", the Danish form of Matthew. It is among the most common last names in Denmark. Curiously, the Danish officer Vilhelm Madsen gave his name to one of the first light machine guns, adopted around 1902.
Arms associated with the Madsen name
Coats of arms associated with the Madsen surname follow English heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Madsen family history
This is only a glimpse of the Madsen story. The full Madsen history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Madsen coat of arms. Get the full Madsen report.
Madsen name FAQ
What does the Madsen name mean?
Son of Mads (Matthew). Common variants include Madson, Matsen.
Where does the Madsen surname come from?
It originates in Denmark, and is also found in Norway, the United States and Canada.
Is there a Madsen coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Madsen coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); Danmarks Statistik (Statistics Denmark), Navne i hele befolkningen (surname frequency tables)..