Show ContentsIvesson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Ivesson came from the baptismal name Ivar, derived from the Old French name Ivar, which arrived in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname Ivesson was also derived from the Saint Ives, whose name was also found as St. Ives in Huntingdonshire. 1

The name is "probably connected with Ives, the saint who gave the title to St. Ives in Huntingdonshire (who, legend says, was a Persian bishop, and set up a hermitage on that spot), and Iva, similarly commemorated at St. Ives in Cornwall." 2

Early Origins of the Ivesson family

The surname Ivesson was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where Walter filius Ive, Salop (Shropshire); William filius Ive, Cornwall; and Ive Hook, Huntingdonshire were all listed as holding lands at that time. 2

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Adam Iveson; Yvo Milner; and Yvo Pape. 2 3

Early History of the Ivesson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ivesson research. Another 184 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1115, 1383, 1444, 1454, 1485, 1560, 1592, 1597, 1600, 1601, 1602, 1620, 1653, 1662, 1674, 1690, 1708, 1773 and 1838 are included under the topic Early Ivesson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ivesson 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 Ivesson family name include Iveson, Iverson, Ivison and others.

Early Notables of the Ivesson family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Abraham Iverson (Iveson) English planter to America who acquired 655 acres of land on the southwest side of the North River, Gloucester County, Virginia and rose to become Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1653.William Ive or Ivy (d. 1485), was an English theologian who studied at Magdalen College, Oxford, and was afterwards a fellow and lecturer in theology there. He was head-master at Winchester College from 1444 to 1454. 4 Paul Ive (fl. 1602), was an English writer on fortification who appears to have been a member of Corpus Christi...
Another 144 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ivesson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ivesson 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 Ivesson surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Richard and Thomas Iveson settled in Barbados in 1635; another Richard Iveson settled in St. Christopher in 1635.



  1. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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