Contents [hide]

Stinson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Stinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Stinson family history stretches back to the clans of the Dalriadan kingdom on the sea-swept Hebrides islands and mountainous western coast of Scotland. The name Stinson is derived from Steven, and means son of Steven, a variant of Stephen, which meant crown or garland. 1 This personal name was popular throughout Christian Europe during the Middle Ages, mostly due to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The name was Gaelicized as Mac Stiofáin.

Early Origins of the Stinson family

The surname Stinson was first found in Northumberland, where they were established since the early Middle Ages at Knaresdale Hall, and at Newcastle on Tyne. By 1150, they had moved north to Scotland in the parish of Newlands in Peebles (now part of the Strathclyde and Border regions), where Stevene Stevenson swore an oath of allegiance (recorded on the Ragman Rolls) to King Edward I of England during the latter's brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. Another early Scottish record of this surname dates back to 1372, when one Nichol fiz ('son of') Steven, chaplain of Scotland, was given a license to take shipping at London or Dovorre. 2

The name is "confined for the most part to the northern half of England, being especially frequent in county Durham, and afterwards in the North and East Ridings and Northumberland. It is also well established in Lincolnshire, and has made a substantial advance into the midlands as far as Warwickshire. Strangely enough it has an independent home in Sussex and Berks, where Stevens is also common. Generally speaking, however, it is absent or rare in the southern part of England, where its place is supplied by Stephens and Stevens. The Stevensons extend in force across the Scottish border, but do not usually reach beyond the Forth and the Clyde." 3

Early History of the Stinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stinson research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1388, 1454, 1455, 1477, 1479, 1505, 1548, 1580, 1594, 1781, 1848 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Stinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stinson Spelling Variations

Medieval translation of Gaelic names could not be referred to as an accurate process. Spelling was not yet standardized, and names in documents from that era are riddled with spelling variations. Stinson has been written as Stevenson, Stephenson, Stephinson, Stevenston, Steenson, Stenson, Steinson, Stinson, Stephenton, Stynson, Stevensint, Stevensynd, Stevensent, Stympson, Stevensend, Stevensant, Steanson, Stevensyn, Stephenston, Stephensyn, Stevinson, Stevensan, Stevensind, Stevensane, Stimpson and many more.

Early Notables of the Stinson family

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

Stinson Ranking

In the United States, the name Stinson is the 1,048^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Stinson family to Ireland

Some of the Stinson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stinson migration to the United States +

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Stinson or a variant listed above include:

Stinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Stinson, who landed in Virginia in 1662 5

Stinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Stinson, who landed in New England in 1751 5
Ellaner Stinson, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 5
Ellen Stinson, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 5
James Stinson, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 5

Stinson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Stinson, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1828 5
David, Hugh, James, John, Robert, Thomas and William Stinson, who all, who arrived in Pennsylvania from 1844 to 1857
David Stinson, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
B Stinson, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
M Stinson, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stinson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stinson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Sarah Stinson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Susanah Stinson, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. David Stinson U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 6
Private. James Stinson U.E. (b. 1748) who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 married to Margaret 6
Mr. John Stinson U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Stinson migration to Australia +

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

Stinson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Matthew Stinson, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Stinson, (b. 1812), aged 16, Irish convict who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Fergusson" on 16th November 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1884 8
Charles Stinson, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Warren Hastings"

Stinson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Stinson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Benjamin Stinson, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Mary A. Stinson, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Edward Stinson, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alma" in 1857
Mr. James Stinson, (b. 1850), aged 25, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Stinson (post 1700) +

Thomas Eugene "Tommy" Stinson (b. 1966), American bassist, currently a member of Guns N' Roses
Katherine Stinson (1891-1977), fourth woman in the United States to obtain a pilot's certificate, inspiration of the Stinson Aircraft Company
Harry Edward Stinson (1898-1975), American sculptor
Robert Neil "Bob" Stinson (1959-1995), founding member and lead guitarist for the American rock band The Replacements
Homer D. Stinson, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1940 10
Dean K. Stinson, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 1956 10
Charles H. Stinson, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 5th District, 1868-70 10
Bill Stinson, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives 63rd District, 2012 10
Ben Stinson, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1932 10
Ben Stinson, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Evansville, Indiana, 1853-57 10
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Stinson 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: Coelum non solum
Motto Translation: Heaven not earth

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"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)
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 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fergusson
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html