Handeland is a surname of Norwegian origin. It is most commonly classified as either a patronymic surname derived from the Old Norse personal name Hǫndulfr (meaning "hand-wolf") or a habitational name from any of several farmsteads in southwestern Norway, where the first element likely derives from Old Norse hanga ("to hang"), referring to a steep cliff or mountain with a farmstead (land) situated beneath it.
Notable people
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Gisle Handeland (born 1943) – Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He served as private secretary and state secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications under the third Brundtland cabinet (1990–1995), and later became the first Labour Party member to hold the office of county mayor (fylkesordfører) of Hordaland (1999–2003). He also served on the board of the Western Norway Regional Health Authority.
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Lori Handeland (born 1961) – American author of romance novels. She is a five-time nominee and two-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award (winning in 2005 for Blue Moon in Paranormal Romance and in 2007 for The Mommy Quest in Long Contemporary Romance). She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over sixty novels spanning paranormal romance, urban fantasy, contemporary romance, historical romance, and historical fantasy. Her notable series include the Night Creature series, The Phoenix Chronicles, and Shakespeare Undead.
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Donald Handeland – American politician and civil engineer from Alaska. He serves on the Anchorage Assembly representing District 2 (Eagle River, Chugiak, and JBER), having assumed office in April 2026. He has also been appointed by the Governor of Alaska to the State of Alaska Personnel Board.
Etymology
The surname's origin is debated between two primary theories:
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Patronymic theory: Derived from the Old Norse personal name Hǫndulfr, composed of hǫnd ("hand") and ulfr ("wolf"), meaning "hand-wolf." Under this interpretation, the name originally identified descendants of a man named Hǫndulfr.
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Habitational theory: According to the Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford University Press, 2003) and FamilySearch, the name originates from several farmsteads in southwestern Norway. The first element likely comes from Old Norse hanga ("to hang"), describing a farmstead situated beneath a steep cliff or hanging mountain.
Distribution
The surname Handeland is relatively rare. According to U.S. Census data, it ranked approximately 52,037th in frequency in 2010, with about 399 bearers in the United States. It is most commonly found in Norway and among Norwegian-American communities.
References
- Hanks, Patrick, ed. (2003). Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 9780195081374.
- "Handeland". Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handeland.
- "Lori Handeland". Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Handeland.
- "Gisle Handeland". Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisle_Handeland.
- "Donald Handeland". Ballotpedia. Retrieved from https://ballotpedia.org/Donald_Handeland.
