Contents [hide]

Davisson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Davisson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Picts of ancient Scotland were the tribe of the ancestors of the Davisson family. The name Davisson is derived from the personal name David. Davisson is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. This surname comes from the religious naming tradition, and was adopted from the popular biblical surname, David, which means beloved. This surname is believed to date as far back as the 15th century, BC, and to have come to Scotland from Brittany, with the Picts. The first Chief of the Clan Davidson, David Dubh, was of Pictish descent. He was the fourth son of the chief of Clan Chattan, of which the Davidsons became a part.

Early Origins of the Davisson family

The surname Davisson was first found in Perth, where, in 1219, Johnannes filius Davidis, a merchant in Perth, is mentioned. Some accounts suggest that around 1000 AD the Catti (Chattan) Clan, from whom the Davidson Clan descends, broke into two distinct factions, the MacKintosh and the MacPherson Clans.

The Davidson Clan was part of the MacPherson element, but always considered itself to be the senior Clan of the Chattan group. Records from the Ragman Rolls show Adami fiz Dauid of Forfarshire and Johan le fiz David of Berwickshire rendering homage to King Edward I of England in 1296.

The first estates of the Clan Davisson were at Invernahaven, a small estate in Badenoch, where they were said to be found from the mid 14th century.

Early History of the Davisson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davisson research. Another 219 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1396, 1408, 1411, 1466, 1500, 1549, 1603, 1670 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Davisson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davisson Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Davisson has been spelled Davison, Davidson, Davisint, Davisyn, Debison, Dawysone, Dawyson, Davysone, Davyson, Davitson, Dawysown, Davisoun, Davisend, Davidsone, Davidson, Daveysone, Daveyson, Dauyson, Dawysume, Dauysum and many more.

Early Notables of the Davisson family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Davisson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davisson Ranking

In the United States, the name Davisson is the 8,403^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Davisson family to Ireland

Some of the Davisson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davisson migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Davisson:

Davisson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Davisson, who landed in Maryland in 1637 2

Davisson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J C Davisson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1849 2

Davisson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Davisson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Davisson, (b. 1849), aged 25, Irish labourer, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 3
Mrs. Hannah Davisson, (b. 1850), aged 24, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 3
Mr. Robert Davisson, (b. 1871), aged 3, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 3
Mr. Alexander Davisson, (b. 1873), aged 1, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 3
Mrs. Susanna Davisson, (b. 1831), aged 43, Irish settler, from Antrim travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 31st December 1874 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Davisson (post 1700) +

Steven Joseph "Steve" Davisson (1957-2021), American politician and pharmacist, Republican member of the Indiana House of Representatives from 2010 until his death
Clinton Joseph Davisson (1881-1958), American physicist who won the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of electron diffraction
Samuel Davisson, American politician, Member of West Virginia State Senate 12th District, 1881-84 4
Russell L. Davisson, American Republican politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Kanawha County, 1967-70; Defeated, 1970, 1972 4
Mary Hart Davisson (1900-1976), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia Democratic State Executive Committee, 1941-45, 1949; Member of Democratic National Committee from West Virginia, 1960-64 4
Late B. Davisson, American Republican politician, Mayor of Clarksburg, West Virginia, 1939-40 4
Burton M. Davisson, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Lewis County, 1940 4

The Davisson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sapienter si sincere
Motto Translation: Wisely if sincerely.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html