Clison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Clison is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the baptismal name Klaus, or Niklaus (Nicholas). Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. Furthermore, the suffix son was frequently added to such names which in this case would have been derived from son of Klaus or son of Nicholas.

Early Origins of the Clison family

The surname Clison was first found in Long Clawson, sometimes referred to as Claxton, a small village in Leicestershire. The village dates back to before the Domesday Book where it was recorded as Clachestone part of Framland Wapentake and held by Robert the Usher 1. As far as the surname is concerned, the first record of the name appears in Middlesex where they held a family seat as early as 1340. Clays le Taburer is mentioned as being Minstrel to the King and later, during the reign of King Henry IV the name emerged as Clayson in the form of Henry Clayson. By 1328 the name had migrated north to Scotland when Johanes Clayson was Chamberlain. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed.

Early History of the Clison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clison research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1336, 1364, 1370, 1373, 1380, 1382, 1389, 1392, 1399, 1407, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Clison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clison Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Clison include Clayson, Clawson, Claxson, Claison, Clason, Clisson and many more.

Early Notables of the Clison family

Distinguished members of the family include Olivier de Clisson (1336-1407), a Breton soldier, distinguished himself at the Battle of Auray (1364), where he lost an eye in the fighting, and earned the nickname "Butcher" because his troops were ordered to take no prisoners, due to differences he went over to the side of Montfort's rivals (France), acquired the lordship of Josselin and began to build Josselin Castle (1370), an imposing new fortress with eight towers, joined Bertrand du Guesclin (1370), who had lately become constable of France, and followed him in campaigns against the English, including the Siege of Brest in...
Another 177 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Clison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Clison family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: James Clayso in settled in Virginia in 1665.