Tyssen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought many new words to England from which surnames were formed. Tyssen was one of these new Norman names. It was specifically tailored to its first bearer, who was a fiesty or hot-tempered person. The name is a metaphor derived from the Old French word tison meaning fire-brand.

Alternatively the name could have originated from "Tesson or Taisson, the Norman-French for badger." 1

Early Origins of the Tyssen family

The surname Tyssen was first found in Northumberland where they held a family seat from early times, where the name originally was Tesson, one of the most powerful families in Normandy seated at Angouleme. Their history is French more than Viking and they distinguished themselves against the Saracens in 725.

They were later seated at Anjou and Raoul Tesson the first Lord of Cingueleiz led 120 knights at Val-Des-Dunes in 1047. Gilbert Tesson, his brother, obtained the barony of Alnwick from King Edward the Confessor, England's Saxon King, and was killed at the Battle of Hastings, fighting on the Saxon side. 2

Early History of the Tyssen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tyssen research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1309, 1651, 1680 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Tyssen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyssen Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Tyson, Tesson, Tewson, Tiuson, Tison, Dyson and many more.

Early Notables of the Tyssen family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tyssen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyssen migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Tyssen or a variant listed above:

Tyssen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jan Tyssen, who landed in New York in 1630 3
Claes Tyssen, who arrived in New York in 1639 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Tyssen (post 1700) +

George Tyssen Butler (1943-2021), English born, American filmmaker and photographer, known for Pumping Iron, which introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Endurance film trilogy, retelling Sir Ernest Shackleton’s saga of Antarctic survival, and Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)