Alyson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The ancestors of the Alyson family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the name for the son of "Ellis" or Ellis' son. Conversely, the surname could be is derived from "Alice" as in "the son of Alice." It is likely though that the name was derived from "Ellis" rather than the female personal name. 1 2

But Black goes on stating there is some dispute as to the origin: "On the other hand, with reference to Scottish Alison or Allison, Mr. L. A. Morrison in his The History of the Alison or Allison family in Europe and America, Boston, 1893, says that it is 'a fact beyond doubt that Alison comes from Alister or Alexander, and, further, that the Alisons are offshoots of the famous Clan of MacAlister" (p. 4), and that the origin of the name is due to two sons of Alexander MacAlister of Loupe who with some of their followers escaped to the parish of Avondale, Lanarkshire, during the War of Independence, and there later their name was changed from MacAlister to Alison (p. 18). He further states that 'the names Alison, Allison, Alinson, Allinson, and of Elison, Ellison, Elissen, Ellysen, are found thus spelled in the early history of some branches of the present Allison family. They are interchangeably mixed. The name was often spelled Ellison and Allison when referring to the same individual.' " 1

Early Origins of the Alyson family

The surname Alyson was first found in the county of Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they acquired some time before 1300 the territories of their family seat at Loupe. They were descended from Angus Mor MacDonnell, Lord of the Isles, their Gaelic name was MacAllister, and it is difficult through history to distinguish one name from the other.

One of the first clear records of the family was "Patrick Alissone del counte de Berewyk rendered homage, 1296." 1 This is an early record of Patrick's swearing allegiance to King Edward I of England, shortly after his invasion of Scotland.

Continuing, we found "Peter Alesoun was a witness in Brechin, 1490 (REB,, II, 134), Thomas Alesoun appears in Lochtoun, Scone, 1586 (Scon, p. 232), James Allasone was bailie of Ranfrew, 1688 (RPC., 3. ser. XIII, p. 243), and Gabriel Alason was bailie of the burgh of Dumfries, 1693." 1

Early History of the Alyson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alyson research. Another 42 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1314 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Alyson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alyson Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Alyson include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include Allison, Alison, Alinson, Allinson, McAllister, MacAllister, Ellison and many more.

Early Notables of the Alyson family

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

Migration of the Alyson family to Ireland

Some of the Alyson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alyson family

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Alyson or a variant listed above: William Allison who settled in Pennsylvania in 1764.

Contemporary Notables of the name Alyson (post 1700) +

Mr. Richard Alyson, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1544 to 1545
Alyson Rodee, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 2012 3
Alyson Judith Kirtley Bailes CMG (1949-2016), English diplomat, British Ambassador to Finland (2000-2002)
Alyson Dudek (b. 1990), American four-time bronze medalist short track speed skater
Alyson Stoner (b. 1993), American actress and dancer, best known in the role of Max in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Alyson Regina Annan (b. 1973), Australian Olympic Gold medal winning field hockey player
Alyson Hannigan (b. 1974), American actress

Citations +

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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html