Syson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Syson was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Syson family lived in Gloucestershire, at the manor of Siston, from whence their name was derived.

Early Origins of the Syson family

The surname Syson 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 Syson family

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

Syson 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 Syson family

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

Migration of the Syson family to Ireland

Some of the Syson 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 Syson 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 Syson 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.

Contemporary Notables of the name Syson (post 1700) +

Lucinda Syson, American nominee for the 2006 Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature (Drama)
Antonia Syson (1973-2018), British-American classical scholar specialising in the study of Virgil's Aeneid
Steve Syson (b. 1969), English actor from in Nottingham, known for Neighbours (1985), Verité and Without Warrant (2013)
Sidney Syson, English Liberal Democrat politician for the Warwick District Council election in 2019
Luke Syson, English museum curator and art historian, Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum (2019-)
Michael Syson, British writer of Eagle's Wing (1979)
Sasha Syson, British production manager, known for Council House Britain (2020) and Mars: One Day on the Red Planet (2020)
Olivia Syson, British actress, known for The Ups and Downs of a Handyman (1975)
Alfred Syson (1880-1952), British fencer who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics