Handson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Handson came from the baptismal name for the "son of Henry," or "the son of Heyn." 1

"There are few traces of the name in the Hundred Rolls of 1273. The large business done between the English and Low Countries in the 14th century, however, made the foreign forms familiar, especially in counties like Yorkshire." 1

Early Origins of the Handson family

The surname Handson was first found in Yorkshire where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Adam Hanneson; Robertus Hanson; Willelmus Hanson; Johanna Hanson, wyf (wife); and Johannes Hanneson as all holding lands there at that time. 1

The Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire listed John Handson there in 1327 and later William Hondesone was listed in the Subsidy Roll for Staffordshire in 1332. John Hanson was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland (Cumbria) in 1332 and in Lancashire, Ralph Hanneson was found there in 1350. 2

"The Hansons have for a long time resided in the parish of Halifax. A rector of Thornton two centuries ago bore this name. Richard Hanson, who was three times mayor of Hull in the reign of Henry VI., died heroically at the battle of Wakefield in 1460. Captain Hanson, who was taken prisoner in the same battle, was executed at Pontefract." 3

Early History of the Handson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Handson research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1603, 1604, 1611, 1630, 1641, 1658 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Handson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Handson Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Handson has been recorded under many different variations, including Hanson, Hansom and others.

Early Notables of the Handson family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Hanson (fl. 1604), English poet, who proceeded B.A. from Peterhouse, Cambridge, in 1603-1604." He was author of a very rare volume of verse, entitled 'Time is a Turn-coate, or England's Threefold Metamorphosis ; also a pageant speech or Idylion pronounced to the citie of London before the entrance of her long expected consort,' i.e. James I, London, printed for J. H., 1604." 4 Another John...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Handson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Handson migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Handson or a variant listed above:

Handson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Handson, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 5

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)