ELSON
The surname Elson is of English origin and is found throughout the British Isles.
The name originates most commonly from the Old English personal name Ælfwine, literally meaning elf friend or friend of the elves. It may also derive from the place name Elston, which translates as the settlement by the river El and is therefore a locational surname.
Additional locational roots exist in particular English localities. One source records an Elson settlement in Hampshire, first mentioned as Aethelswithetuninga in the Saxon Charters of 948; the name is composed of the pre-7th-century female personal name Aethelswith (aethel meaning noble + swith meaning strong) and tun meaning enclosure or settlement. A separate locality in Shropshire, recorded as Elleston in the 1247 Antiquities of Shropshire, is derived from the Old English personal name Elli plus tun.
There is also a patronymic origin for the surname. It can be a form of El – a pet name for Ellis, itself derived from the Hebrew Eliyahu (Jehovah is God). The earliest appearance of the name in this form is in the latter half of the 14th century.
The surname first appears in contemporary records as Ricardus Elson, a name recorded in the 1379 Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire during the reign of King Richard of Bordeaux (1377‑1399).
Modern spelling variants include Elson, Ellson and Ellsom. For example, the marriage of Mary Elsom to Richard Sawford was presented at St. Dunstan's, Stepney on 25 February 1632, and Maria Elsom, daughter of Thomae and Margaretta Elsom, was christened on 26 October 1662 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster, London.
Although relatively rare, the surname Elson survives in various English-speaking countries and maintains a distinctive heritage rooted in both personal and locational elements of medieval England.
Typical given names associated with the Elson surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
- Stephen
Female
- Alison
- Elizabeth
- Jacqueline
- Joanne
- Katherine
- Linda
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Elson in...
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There are approximately 4,220 people named Elson in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,213th most common surname in Britain. Around 65 in a million people in Britain are named Elson.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Elson
- Karen Elson - Model and musician
- Kate Elson - Model
- Diane Elson - Academic
- Peter Elson - Artist (1947 to 1998)
- Gus Elson - Cricketer (1913 to 1999)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.