Disson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland

The Disson family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the medieval personal name Dennis. Disson is a metronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. In this case, the surname comes from the first name of the mother, or of another female ancestor of the bearer. It was common for second sons to take the name of their mother as a surname in the Middle Ages. In general, where patronymic surnames were used, the first son adopted the given name of his father as a surname. This type of surname is the most common form of hereditary surname. The earliest origins of this family were found in the county of Worcestershire, where they had been settled prior to the Norman Conquest, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Disson family

The surname Disson was first found in London where Richard Dysun was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1274. Later, Ralph Dyson was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296 and John Dysone was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1327. John Dyesson was a Freeman of York in 1387. John, son of Dionysia de Langside is also called John Dyson de Langside in 1369. 1

"Dy or Dye, whence the patronymic Dyson. Almost all our Dysons hail from Yorkshire, where the font-name had a popularity second only to those of Matilda and Isabel. " 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Johannes Dison; Johannes Dison; and Dionisia uxor Thome Dison. 2

"Dyson is a name now numerous in the Huddersfield district [of West Yorkshire]. It was well established in the parish of Ecclesfield during the reign of Elizabeth I." 3

Early History of the Disson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Disson research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1387, 1688, 1722, 1742, 1776, 1788, 1808, 1812, 1816, 1836 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Disson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Disson Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Disson include Dyson, Dison, Disson, Dysson and others.

Early Notables of the Disson family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Jeremiah Dyson (1722-1776), English civil servant and politician who has been tersely described as ‘by birth a tailor, by education a dissenter, and from interest or vanity in his earlier years a republican.’ His father, whether a tailor or not, left considerable means to his son, who, it is established by many witnesses, professed in early life the extremist principles of Whiggism. For two years he studied at the university of Edinburgh, and ‘Jupiter’ Carlyle bears testimony to his ‘perfect idea of the constitution of the church of Scotland, and the nature and...
Another 280 words (20 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Disson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Disson migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Disson were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Disson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Clem Disson, who landed in Mississippi in 1798 4
Joseph Disson, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 4

Disson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Disson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Disson U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 5

Disson migration to Australia +

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

Disson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Disson, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asia" on 20th July 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th February 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1837