Pearsson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Pearsson is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Pearsson is a name that comes from the French given name Pierre, which is equivalent to the English Peter as in son of Peter or Pierre.1 2 3

Early Origins of the Pearsson family

The surname Pearsson was first found in Berwickshire where the name was derived as "son of Pier." Walter Pierson of Berwickshire rendered homage to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. 4 However, some of the family were found at early times in Lancashire, specifically at the township of Shevington where "Crook Hall was the seat of the Pearsons." 5

In Somerset, early rolls there listed Walter Peressone and Richard Peresone, both 1 Edward III, (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6

In Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls from 1379 included: Robertus Perisson. 7

Early History of the Pearsson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pearsson research. Another 213 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1369, 1472, 1506, 1529, 1537, 1540, 1541, 1542, 1544, 1545, 1567, 1587, 1590, 1592, 1594, 1604, 1612, 1613, 1628, 1634, 1642, 1647, 1648, 1650, 1651, 1657, 1662, 1665, 1667, 1670, 1677, 1686, 1720 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Pearsson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pearsson 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 Pearson, Peerson, Pierson, Peirson and others.

Early Notables of the Pearsson family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Andrew Peerson or Pierson (d. 1594), an English divine, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He "graduated B.A. from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, in 1540-1541 or 1542, and M.A. in 1544 or 1545. Soon after graduating B.A. he was elected fellow of his college; for a time he was bursar, and laid out and planted with fruit trees the fellows' garden." 8Martin Peerson, Pierson or Pearson (1590-1651), was an English musical composer from March, Cambridgeshire. "He graduated Mus. Bac. from Lincoln College, Oxford, in 1613. Fulke Greville, first lord Brooke, was his earliest...
Another 186 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pearsson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pearsson family to Ireland

Some of the Pearsson 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 Pearsson family

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 Pearsson or a variant listed above were: John Pearson, who settled with his wife and two children in Barbados in 1678; Mary Pearson settled in Virginia in 1646; Nicholas Pearson settled in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1774.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print