Addamson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Etymology of Addamson

What does the name Addamson mean?

The surname Addamson is derived from the name of an ancestor, as in 'the son of Adam.' This popular font-name in the 13th century claims the root 'Adam,' the given name in Genesis 1-5 for the first human. He features in various belief systems including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam.

Early Origins of the Addamson family

The surname Addamson was first found in Norfolk where it is thought that the first record of the name was Richard Adamessone who was listed there in the 13th century. 1

The name is "rare in the eastern and northern counties [of England]. In the north, however, its place is sometimes taken by Adamson and Addison, as in the county of Durham. It is at present best represented in Buckinghamshire, Devon, Hampshire, and Staffordshire, and in the counties on the Welsh border, Shropshire and Monmouthshire. This name, according to Lower, was more frequent in the Middle Ages. Adamson is found in the north of England and in the south of Scotland." 2 3

In Scotland, the name is fairly common in the present day Angus (now in Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross areas.) One of the first records of the family was Adam filius Ade filius Philippi who was burgess of Suhtberewick in 1261. Later, we found John Adamsone of the county of Berewyke took the oath of fealty in 1296 and Colin, son of Ade, was Provost of Aberdeen in 1340 and appears again in 1349 as Colin Adamson. John Adamson (fitz de Adam), a Scot, had a safe conduct to go to Bruges from England in 1433. Cuthbert Adamson was a notary public of Glasgow diocese, 1587. 4

Another source notes "the surname of Adam is of great antiquity in Scotland. Duncan Adam, son of Alexander Adam, lived in the reign of King Robert Bruce, and had four sons, from whom all the Adams, Adamsons, and Adies in Scotland are descended." 5

Early History of the Addamson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Addamson research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1261, 1296, 1433, 1537, 1587, 1592, 1600, 1610, 1611, 1639, 1653, 1680, 1787, 1855 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Addamson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Addamson Spelling Variations

During the era when a person's name, tribe and posterity was one of his most important possessions, many different spellings were found in the archives examined. Addamson occurred in many references, and spelling variations of the name found included Adamsone, Addamson, Adamson and others.

Early Notables of the Addamson family

Henry Adamson (d. 1639), a Scottish poetical writer, a native of Perth, was the son of James Adamson, who had been dean of guild in 1600, and provost in 1610 and 1611. 6 John Adamson (d. 1653), was Principal of the University of Edinburgh. He was the son of Henry Adamson, Provost of Perth, and grandson of Dr. Patrick Adamson, Archbishop of St. Andrews. 6 Patrick Adamson (1537-1592), was a...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Addamson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Addamson family to Ireland

Some of the Addamson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Addamson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Addamson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

David Addamson, aged 23, who landed in Jamaica in 1684 8

The Addamson 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: Crux mihi grata quies
Motto Translation: The Cross gives me welcome rest.

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
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)