Sisel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Sisel is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Sisel family lived in Gloucestershire, at the manor of Siston, from whence their name was derived.

Early Origins of the Sisel family

The surname Sisel was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Siston, held at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, a survey of England taken by Duke William of Normandy after his conquest of England in Hastings in 1066 A.D. In this survey the village of Siston was held by Roger de Berkeley. Conjecturally they were descended from Roger, and as it was the tradition of Norman families, the second or third son usually adopted the name of his manor or lands.

Early History of the Sisel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sisel research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1661, 1690, 1720, 1749 and 1783 are included under the topic Early Sisel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sisel Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Siston, Sistons, Syston, Sistun, Systun, Sisson, Sissons, Sysun, Sisun, Sissun, Sison, Sisons, Syson, Sysson, Session, Sesion and many more.

Early Notables of the Sisel family

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

Migration of the Sisel family to Ireland

Some of the Sisel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sisel family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Sisel or a variant listed above: George Sisson, who immigrated to Rhode Island in 1635; William Sisson, who came to Maryland in 1774; R. Sisson, who arrived in New York State in 1823.