Stemson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

This scripture name, like many others, was not introduced here until the Norman Conquest, after which we find it in the form of Fitz-Stephen. It occupies a large place among our surnames in the usual genitive forms of Stephens. Stevens, Steevens, Stephenson, Stevenson, &c. A nicked or abbreviated form furnishes us with our Steen, Steenson, Stimson, Stimpson, Stinson, Stibbs: perhaps also Stubbs, Steff, Stiff, and Stennett. Tiffany and Tiffin, from Stephanus, belong to the same category. 1

"This name was introduced into Britain by the Normans, with whom it was a favorite. Although found occasionally in England before 1066 its use then was due really to Christian tradition, Stephen (Stephanos) having been the first Christian martyr after Christ." 2

Early Origins of the Stemson family

The surname Stemson was first found in Essex where Adam Steveneson was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Later, John Stephenson was listed at Whitby, Yorkshire in 1395. 3 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Thomas Stevenson. 4

In Somerset, we found the truncated entries for Philip Stevene; and William Stevene, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 5

"The present family of Stimpson may possess an ancestor in John Stimpson, who lived at Burston, in Diss, in 1742." 6 John Stimpson from Norwich, Norfolk was listed there in 1742. 7

The first record of the Stinson variant was found in Yorkshire where Corpus Christi Guild (Surtees Society) listed Joseph Stinson, but no date was given. Welford's History of Newcastle and Gateshead records "in a muster-roll of able-bodied men at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1539 occur the names of: Edward Stynson; Stewyn Sotheron; Allen Stewenson; and John Stewynsone. 8

Early History of the Stemson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stemson research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1296, 1455, 1552, 1581, 1583, 1584, 1585, 1624, 1654, 1685, 1742, 1764, 1833 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Stemson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stemson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stevenson, Stephenson, Stephinson, Stevenston, Steenson, Stenson, Steinson and many more.

Early Notables of the Stemson family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Thomas Stephenson (1552-1624), English Jesuit, born in 1552 of Catholic parents at Windlestone in the parish of St. Andrews, Auckland, Durham. He studied his humanities in England, and went through the higher course at the English College of Douay, then temporarily settled at Rheims, where he arrived on 22 June 1581. He was ordained priest there on 21 Dec. 1581, and was sent to the English mission on 13 April...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Stemson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Stemson family to Ireland

Some of the Stemson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 186 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stemson migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stemson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Stemson, who landed in Virginia in 1715 9

Stemson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Stemson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Stemson, (b. 1839), aged 29, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 10
Mrs. Mary Stemson, (b. 1843), aged 25, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 10
Miss Eliza Stemson, (b. 1865), aged 3, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 10
Miss Emily Stemson, (b. 1867), aged 1, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 10

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. 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)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html