| ![Show Contents]() Stenson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of StensonWhat does the name Stenson mean? The western coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Stenson family. Their name is derived from Steven, and means son of Steven, a variant of Stephen, which meant crown or garland. 1 This personal name was popular throughout Christian Europe during the Middle Ages, mostly due to St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. The name was Gaelicized as Mac Stiofáin. Early Origins of the Stenson familyThe surname Stenson was first found in Northumberland, where they were established since the early Middle Ages at Knaresdale Hall, and at Newcastle on Tyne. By 1150, they had moved north to Scotland in the parish of Newlands in Peebles (now part of the Strathclyde and Border regions), where Stevene Stevenson swore an oath of allegiance (recorded on the Ragman Rolls) to King Edward I of England during the latter's brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. Another early Scottish record of this surname dates back to 1372, when one Nichol fiz ('son of') Steven, chaplain of Scotland, was given a license to take shipping at London or Dovorre. 2 The name is "confined for the most part to the northern half of England, being especially frequent in county Durham, and afterwards in the North and East Ridings and Northumberland. It is also well established in Lincolnshire, and has made a substantial advance into the midlands as far as Warwickshire. Strangely enough it has an independent home in Sussex and Berks, where Stevens is also common. Generally speaking, however, it is absent or rare in the southern part of England, where its place is supplied by Stephens and Stevens. The Stevensons extend in force across the Scottish border, but do not usually reach beyond the Forth and the Clyde." 3 Early History of the Stenson familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stenson research. Another 209 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1388, 1454, 1455, 1477, 1479, 1505, 1548, 1580, 1594, 1781, 1848 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Stenson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Stenson Spelling VariationsSpelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Stenson has appeared in various documents spelled Stevenson, Stephenson, Stephinson, Stevenston, Steenson, Stenson, Steinson, Stinson, Stephenton, Stynson, Stevensint, Stevensynd, Stevensent, Stympson, Stevensend, Stevensant, Steanson, Stevensyn, Stephenston, Stephensyn, Stevinson, Stevensan, Stevensind, Stevensane, Stimpson and many more. Early Notables of the Stenson familyMore information is included under the topic Early Stenson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Stenson Rankingthe United States, the name Stenson is the 9,625th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 Migration of the Stenson family to IrelandSome of the Stenson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Stenson migration to the United States | + |
The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Stenson or a variant listed above include:
Stenson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Stenson, aged 20, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834 5
| Stenson migration to Canada | + |
Stenson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century- Mr. James Stenson who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Herald" departing 20th May 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 26th June 1847 but he died on board 6
| Stenson migration to Australia | + |
Stenson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mrs. Eliza Stenson, (b. 1785), aged 44, Irish servant who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for murder, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1851 7
| Stenson 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: Stenson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- J Stenson, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Regia
| Contemporary Notables of the name Stenson (post 1700) | + |
- Dernell Renauld Stenson (1978-2003), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played in 2003 for the Cincinnati Reds
- William C. Stenson (b. 1900), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Ontonagon District; Defeated, 1938; Elected 1940, 1942 8
- Edward G. Stenson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1916 9
- Henrik Stenson (b. 1976), Swedish professional golfer on the PGA and European Tours
- Frederick "Fred" Stenson (b. 1951), Canadian writer of historical fiction and non-fiction relating to the Canadian West; his 2000 novel The Trade was shortlisted for Canada's Giller Prize
- Fred Frise Stenson (1914-1990), Canadian farmer and politician, Member of Parliament for Peterborough (1962-1965)
- Bo Gustav Stenson (b. 1944), Swedish jazz pianist, founder of The Bobo Stenson Trio
- Mary Stenson Scriven (b. 1962), United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
| Historic Events for the Stenson family | + |
- Miss Delia Stenson, English 3rd Class passenger residing in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 9
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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)
- Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 96)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
 |
