Clisson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Clisson is an ancient Anglo-Saxon surname that came from the baptismal name Klaus, or Niklaus (Nicholas). Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. Furthermore, the suffix son was frequently added to such names which in this case would have been derived from son of Klaus or son of Nicholas.

Early Origins of the Clisson family

The surname Clisson was first found in Long Clawson, sometimes referred to as Claxton, a small village in Leicestershire. The village dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was recorded as Clachestone part of Framland Wapentake and held by Robert the Usher 1. As far as the surname is concerned, the first record of the name appears in Middlesex where they held a family seat as early as 1340. Clays le Taburer is mentioned as being Minstrel to the King and later, during the reign of King Henry IV the name emerged as Clayson in the form of Henry Clayson. By 1328 the name had migrated north to Scotland when Johanes Clayson was Chamberlain. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed.

Early History of the Clisson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clisson research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1336, 1364, 1370, 1373, 1380, 1382, 1389, 1392, 1399, 1407, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Clisson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clisson Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Clisson has been recorded under many different variations, including Clayson, Clawson, Claxson, Claison, Clason, Clisson and many more.

Early Notables of the Clisson family

Distinguished members of the family include

Olivier de Clisson (1336-1407), a Breton soldier, distinguished himself at the Battle of Auray (1364), where he lost an eye in the fighting, and earned the nickname "Butcher" because his troops were o...

Clisson Ranking

In France, the name Clisson is the 4,113^rd most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Clisson family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Clisson or a variant listed above: James Clayso in settled in Virginia in 1665.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/