Show ContentsSistrunk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Sistrunk reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Sistrunk family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Sistrunk family lived in Gloucestershire, at the manor of Siston, from whence their name was derived.

Early Origins of the Sistrunk family

The surname Sistrunk 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 Sistrunk family

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

Sistrunk Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Siston, Sistons, Syston, Sistun, Systun, Sisson, Sissons, Sysun, Sisun, Sissun, Sison, Sisons, Syson, Sysson, Session, Sesion and many more.

Early Notables of the Sistrunk family

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

Sistrunk Ranking

In the United States, the name Sistrunk is the 8,100th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Sistrunk family to Ireland

Some of the Sistrunk 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.


United States Sistrunk migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Sistrunk name or one of its variants:

Sistrunk Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mary M. Sistrunk, aged 33, who arrived in New York in 1909 aboard the ship "Philadelphia" from Southampton, England 2
  • Mary Sistrunk, aged 29, who arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Leopoldina" from Le Havre, France 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Sistrunk (post 1700) +

  • Manuel Sistrunk (b. 1947), former American NFL football defensive lineman
  • Otis Sistrunk (b. 1946), American former professional NFL football defensive lineman
  • Frank Sistrunk, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Thomas Sistrunk, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 2008 3


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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