Nessan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Netherlands
• Germany
• Scotland
• Ireland
• England

Etymology of Nessan

In Scottish history, few names go farther back than Nessan, whose ancestors lived among the clans of the Pictish tribe. They lived in any of a number of places called Ness, in Scotland and England. In this case, the surname Nessan comes from the Old English word, ness, which means headland. Thus, the surname Nessan means someone "from the headland." However, some references claim the name came from the Gaelic personal name Ness.

Early Origins of the Nessan family

Early History of the Nessan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nessan research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1093, 1153, 1160, 1180, 1260 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Nessan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nessan Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Nessan has been spelled Ness, Nesse, Nessan, Neeson and others.

Early Notables of the Nessan family

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

Migration of the Nessan family to Ireland

Some of the Nessan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 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 Nessan family

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Nessan: William Nesse, who arrived in Virginia in 1635; An Cath. Ness, who settled in New York in 1710; Michael Ness settled in Philadelphia in 1731; Matthias Ness, his wife and their six children, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1731.