Clason History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Clason was spawned by the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture that ruled a majority of Britain. It comes 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 Clason family

The surname Clason 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 Clason family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clason 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 Clason History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clason Spelling Variations

Clason has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Clason have been found, including Clayson, Clawson, Claxson, Claison, Clason, Clisson and many more.

Early Notables of the Clason 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 ordered to take no prisoners, due to differences he went over to the side of Montfort's rivals (France), acquired the lordship of Josselin and began to build Josselin Castle (1370), an imposing new fortress with eight towers, joined Bertrand du Guesclin (1370), who had lately become constable of France, and followed him in campaigns against the English, including the Siege of Brest in...
Another 177 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clason Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clason migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Clasons to arrive on North American shores:

Clason Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon Clason, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Clason (post 1700) +

Solomon Clason, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Stamford, 1831 3
Oliver Barrett Clason (b. 1850), American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives, 1889-93; Mayor of Gardiner, Maine, 1894-96; Member of Maine Governor's Council, 1895-97 3
Hugo A. Clason, American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1939-41 3
George A. Clason, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Missouri 6th District, 1944 3
Ernest F. Clason, American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives from Androscoggin County, 1919-20 3
Charles Russell Clason (1890-1985), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 2nd District, 1937-49; Defeated, 1934, 1948 3
Charles Russell Clason (1890-1985), American Republican member of the United States House of Representatives and Rhodes Scholar
Isak Gustaf Clason (1856-1930), Swedish architect
Hugo Clason (1865-1935), Swedish sailor who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics
Isaac Clason Delaplaine (1817-1866), American politician, Representative from New York 8th District, 1861-63 4

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html