What was Hans Christian Andersen’s middle name?

Hans Christian Andersen’s middle name was Christian.

His full name was Hans Christian Andersen, and he was born in Odense in 1805. In Danish naming practice, the name Andersen means “son of Anders,” reflecting the patronymic naming tradition common in Scandinavia at the time.

Andersen became internationally famous under his birth name rather than a pen name. His name is often shortened informally to H. C. Andersen, especially in Denmark, where “H. C.” is widely recognized as an abbreviation for Hans Christian.

Readers sometimes confuse his name with that of other Danish writers or composers because “Christian” is a common Scandinavian given name. The middle name is nevertheless consistently recorded in biographies, title pages, and museum materials about the author.