Contents [hide]

Macon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Macon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066 brought the Macon family name to the British Isles. Macon is a name for a stone-mason. The name was originally derived from the Old English or Old French word masson. [1]

Early Origins of the Macon family

The surname Macon was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain but one of the oldest was found in Kent on the Isle of Thanet. One of the earliest records on the name was found in London c. 1130 when John Macun was listed there at that time. A few years later, Ace le mazun was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Herefordshire in 1193 and Roger le Mason was listed in Oxfordshire in 1200. The Feet of Fines of Essex lists Godrey le Mascun in 1203 and Adam le Machon was listed in the Assize Roles of Northumberland in 1279. [2] The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Gotte le Mazoun in Huntingdonshire; and Nicholas le Macun in Buckinghamshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Willelmus Mason, mason. [3] About this time and perhaps before, Scotland had early listings of the name. They include: Richard the Mason, burgess of Aberdeen in 1271; John le Massum of Gascony who had claim against the bishop of St. Andrews in 1288; and William dictus Masceon who had a charter of land in the burgh of Berwick in 1307. [4]

Early History of the Macon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Macon research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1586, 1615, 1629, 1633, 1635, 1646, 1650, 1652, 1660, 1673, 1676, 1683, 1685, 1686, 1690, 1694, 1716, 1735, 1770, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Macon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Macon Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Mason, Masson and others.

Early Notables of the Macon family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Mason (1586-1635), born in King's Lynn, became Governor of Newfoundland in 1615, and was one of the founders of New Hampshire; George Mason I (1629-1686) from Pershore, Worcestershire, who arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on the ship Assurance in 1652, he was great-grandfather of George Mason IV, a Founding Father of the United States; and his son, George Mason II (1660-1716), an early American planter and statesman; and his son...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Macon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Macon Ranking

In the United States, the name Macon is the 2,995^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. [5]

Migration of the Macon family to Ireland

Some of the Macon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Macon migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Macon or a variant listed above:

Macon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elias Macon, who landed in Virginia in 1664 [6]

Macon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Corn Macon, who landed in Virginia in 1701 [6]
Gideon Macon, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 [6]
William Macon, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 [6]

Macon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jose Luciano Macon, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1816 [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Macon (post 1700) +

Edwin Donald Macon (1927-2017), professional American football halfback
Major-General Robert Chauncey Macon (1890-1980), American Deputy Chief of Staff Army Field Forces (1949-1952) [7]
Pierre Macon, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 [8]
John Macon Thome (1843-1908), American-born, Argentine astronomer
Nathaniel Macon Burford (1824-1898), American politician, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives between 1866 and 1869
Macon Brock (1942-2017), American retail executive and philanthropist, co-founder of Dollar Tree, Inc., an American chain of discount variety stores
Macon C. Overton (1890-1918), American officer in the United States Marine Corps, eponym of the USS Overton (DD-239/APD–23), a Clemson-class destroyer

The Macon 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: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I have hope.

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
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)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 11) Robert Macon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Macon/Robert_Chauncey/USA.html
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, April 14) Pierre Macon. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html