Neson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Neson family

The surname Neson was first found in Cheshire at Neston, a parish, in the union, and Higher division of the hundred, of Wirrall. "At the Domesday Survey the manor of Great Neston was held in three parts, one by the monks of St. Werburgh, one by William Fitz-Nigel, Baron of Halton, and the third by Robert the Cook. Early in the reign of Stephen, the second baron of Halton obtained that portion which belonged to the monastery, in exchange for Raby; and a subsequent arrangement put him in possession of the entire manor. The manor of Little Neston is mentioned in Domesday Book as held by Robert the Cook. " 1 Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Neston, held by William FitzNigel, a Norman Baron who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. However, we must look to Sussex to find the earliest records of the name. William A. Neston was listed there in 1447, as was Robert A. Neston who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1525. 2

Early History of the Neson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Neson research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1525 is included under the topic Early Neson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Neson Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Neston, Nesston, Nestone and others.

Early Notables of the Neson family

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

Neson migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Neson or a variant listed above were:

Neson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Fra Neson, who landed in Virginia in 1664 3

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)