Contents [hide]

Sessions History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Sessions History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Sessions is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Sessions family lived in Gloucestershire, at the manor of Siston, from whence their name was derived.

Early Origins of the Sessions family

The surname Sessions was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Siston, held at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, a survey of England taken by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in Hastings in 1066 A.D. In this survey the village of Siston was held by Roger de Berkeley. Conjecturally they were descended from Roger, and as it was the tradition of Norman families, the second or third son usually adopted the name of his manor or lands.

Early History of the Sessions family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sessions research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1661, 1690, 1720, 1749 and 1783 are included under the topic Early Sessions History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sessions Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Sessions have been found, including Siston, Sistons, Syston, Sistun, Systun, Sisson, Sissons, Sysun, Sisun, Sissun, Sison, Sisons, Syson, Sysson, Session, Sesion and many more.

Early Notables of the Sessions family

More information is included under the topic Early Sessions Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sessions Ranking

In the United States, the name Sessions is the 3,626^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Sessions family to Ireland

Some of the Sessions family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sessions migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Sessions were among those contributors:

Sessions Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Sessions, who landed in Maryland in 1675 2
Alexander Sessions, who arrived in New England in 1677 2
Hannah Sessions, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 2
James Sessions, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 2

Sessions Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Tho Sessions, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 2
Thomas Sessions, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 2
Thomas Sessions, who landed in Virginia in 1719 2

Sessions Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Wm Sessions, aged 24, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Minstrel" in 1836 3
Ann Sessions, aged 8, Welsh settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jane E Walsh" in 1853 3
Owen Sessions, Welsh settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jane E Walsh" in 1853 3
Edward Sessions, aged 4, Welsh settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jane E Walsh" in 1853 3
Jane Sessions, aged 5, Welsh settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Jane E Walsh" in 1853 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sessions migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sessions Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

Mr. I Sessions, British settler who arrived in Brisbane, Australia aboard the ship "Jervis Bay" in 1924 4
Mr. F. A. Sessions, British settler who arrived in Brisbane, Australia aboard the ship "Jervis Bay" in 1924 4

Sessions migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5

Sessions Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Jo Sessions, aged 22, who landed in Barbados in 1635 2
Mr. John Sessions, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Peter Bonaventure" arriving in Barbados and St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Sessions (post 1700) +

Jefferson Beauregard "Jeff" Sessions III (b. 1946), American politician, United States Senator from Alabama (1997-), 44th Attorney General of Alabama (1995-1997), United States Attorney General (2017-2018)
William Steele Sessions (1930-2020), American attorney and jurist, 4th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (1987-1993)
Loren B. Sessions (1827-1897), American lawyer and politician, New York State Senator (1878-1881), brother of Walter L. Sessions
Katherine Olivia "Kate" Sessions (1857-1940), American botanist, horticulturalist, and landscape architect, known as the "Mother of Balboa Park"
Walter Loomis Sessions (1820-1896), American politician, Member of the New York State Assembly (1853-1854), New York State Senator (1860-1867)
Peter Anderson "Pete" Sessions (b. 1955), American politician, Chair of the House Rules Committee (2013-), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (2003-)
Alonzo Sessions (1810-1886), American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Michigan (1877–1881)
Clarence William Sessions (1859-1931), American jurist, Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (1911–1931)
Allen Dale "Sammy" Sessions (1935-1977), American racecar driver
Ramon Sessions (b. 1986), American professional basketball player
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
National Records Search retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=9255624&S=6&N=9&R=0#/SearchNRetrieve/NAAMedia/ShowImage.aspx?B=9255624&T=P&S=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm