Ibsen (name)

Ibsen is a Danish surname most commonly associated with the Norwegian playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen (whose family was of Danish origin). The name may also appear as Ebsen. The name is originally a patronymic, meaning "son of Ib" (Ib is a Danish variant of Jacob); however, Henrik Ibsen's family had used the name as a "frozen" patronymic (i.e. a permanent family name) since the 17th century.