Show ContentsHailison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the name Hailison are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the pet-name "Alice" as in "the son of Alice." One source claims that name was in fact, Norman having derived from "Bernard de Alençon who held several lordships from Hervey de Bourges, Suffolk, belonged to the family of the Counts of Alençon, descended from Ivo or Belesme, c. 940. " 1

The phonetic resemblance of the name Alençon and the name Hailison is apparent, but no other sources confirmed this ancient heritage. Of note was Alisoun (Alison) who appears in Chaucer's "Miller's Tale" c. 1386, as John's younger wife. 2

Early Origins of the Hailison family

The surname Hailison was first found in various counties and shires throughout Britain. Some of the earliest listing include those listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Richard filius Alice in Oxfordshire; Nicholas filius Alicie in Cambridgeshire; and Isabel filius Alice in Oxfordshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls list Johannes Alysson in 1379. 3

Early History of the Hailison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hailison research. Another 176 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1332, 1447, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1536, 1560, 1592, 1599, 1600, 1610, 1617, 1618, 1697, 1698 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hailison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hailison Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hailison family name include Allyson, Allison, Allisson, Allysson, Alesson and many more.

Early Notables of the Hailison family

Distinguished members of the family include Richard Allison (ca. 1560-1610), an English composer, best known for his de la Tromba, a broken consort piece. His name first occurs as a contributor to T. Este's 'Whole Booke of Psalms,' 1592. A few years later he published on his own account 'The Psalmes of David in Meter,' 1599, a collection of old church tunes harmonised by himself in four parts. 4Thomas Allison (fl. 1697), was an Arctic voyager, "of whose personal history we have no record beyond what is to be gleaned from a journal of one of his voyages afterwards published. While...
Another 147 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hailison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Hailison family to Ireland

Some of the Hailison 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 Hailison family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hailison surname or a spelling variation of the name include: George Allyson who settled in Virginia in 1662; Sarah Allyson who settled in Virginia in 1656; Andrew Allison who settled in Philadelphia in 1750 with his two brothers named James and Robert.



  1. 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)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Grove, Sir George, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD. 1450-1889) London: Macmillan1902, Print, 2 Vols


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