ESSON
The surname Esson is of Scottish origin and can be recognised as a patronymic form of the personal name Ewan or Ewen, which itself is a later variation of the Gaelic name Eoghan. It means "born of the yew tree" and is associated with strength and longevity. The suffix -son signifies "son of Ewan", thus the surname literally translates to "son of the yew‑born".
Alternative historical research suggests that the surname may have arisen from the medieval personal name Esa, a pet form of Aonghus – a name composed of Celtic elements meaning "one and choice". In this view, Esson could be interpreted as "son of Esa". While the evidence is less extensive than for the Eoghan line, the hypothesis is recorded in several genealogical references.
The earliest documented reference to the name appears in a charter dated to the reign of King David in the early thirteenth century. A record shows a person described as Aythe Filius Thome in the "Baillie of Stratherne" (circa 1630) – a typographical misinterpretation of the family name that later evolved through the forms Aysson, Aythe and finally to the contemporary spellings Eason, Easom and Easun.
Records from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries associate the family with the region of Glentilt, where the ancient Scottish family known as the "Essons" were recorded. A historical account indicates that Johem Eyson was outlawed in 1392 for his participation in the killing of the Sheriff of Angus, illustrating the surname’s presence in the violent conflicts of the period. Additionally, in 1681, a John Easson served as a member of the Scottish Parliament at St Andrews, a position of note that attests to the family's established status.
In the land register of Strathearn, a charter for the estate of Fornochtis dates to the early fifteenth century. The charter was held by a bearer of the surname Esson, thereby confirming its geographic entrenchment in that part of Scotland.
The surname Esson has remained relatively uncommon; its distribution has remained centred on Scotland, particularly in areas formerly administered as Aberdeenshire and Moray, but it has also migrated overseas. During periods of economic hardship and social upheaval in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, families bearing the name established communities in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Despite this worldwide dispersion, the largest concentration of people with the name remains in Scotland.
The name has been recorded with a range of orthographic variants including Eason, Essan, Essin, Eson, Asson, Easom and Easun. These spelling differences are the result of regional dialects, changes in orthographic conventions and the influence of neighbouring languages such as Old English and French.
In sum, the surname Esson is deeply rooted in Scottish and Gaelic heritage as a patronymic designation linked to the personal names Eoghan, Ewan and, provisionally, Esa. Its documented appearance in medieval law documents, political records and land charters establishes it as a family of longstanding relevance within the Scottish historical landscape, while the patterns of emigration demonstrate the broader spread of the name across the English‑speaking world.
Typical given names associated with the Esson surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- George
- James
- John
- Jonathan
- Michael
- Robert
- William
Female
- Angela
- Cheryl
- Claire
- Fiona
- Jacqueline
- Karen
- Lynn
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Paula
- Sarah
- Susan
- Wendy
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 Esson in...
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There are approximately 1,032 people named Esson in the UK. That makes it roughly the 7,187th most common surname in Britain. Around 16 in a million people in Britain are named Esson.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Esson
- Ryan Esson - Scottish football player
- William Esson - Mathematician (1838 to 1916)
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.