Arctander (family)
# Arctander (family)

Arctander is the name of two Norwegian families: one from Trondheim and a Nordland family.

## History

The family Arctander in Trondheim descends from Niels Lauritzen the elder (b. ca. 1490), Mayor of Trondheim. His grandchildren, among them Niels Lauritzen the younger, who was a bishop in Viborg, Denmark, adopted the name Arctander.

The Nordland family Arctander begins with Peder Pedersen (b. ca. 1626), a farmer in Lødingen, Nordland. His grandson, Aron Pedersen, adopted the name Arctander when attending the University in Copenhagen, whereafter he returned to Norway and became a priest in Ofoten. Many prominent people belong to this family, among them cabinet minister Sofus Arctander, Signy Arctander, and Evan Arctander.

## Name

The name is in Latinised Greek and means "Norwegian". The first part means arctic, and the second part derives from the word andros (man), i.e. "north man".

