Wilson Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Surname Meaning, Origin, and Etymology
The surname Wilson has more than just one origin. Its roots are linked to countries like England, Scotland, and Ireland. Wilson is a surname that is derived from the name William, which is a compound of two words: “will,” which means desire, and “helm,” which means helmet. On the other hand, the surname Wilson means “son of William” or “son of Wil”, “Will-son.”

As mentioned above, the Wilson surname has 3 possible origins. The first one is England, where in the Court Rolls of the manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire in 1324 there was a Robert Wileson listed. Another who also was in Yorkshire was Robert Wilson, who can be seen in documents from the Cistercian Abbey of Kirkstall in 1341. There are historians who claimed that this line of Wilson in Yorkshire descended from Sir William de Waldershelf, who accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest in 1066. Sir William took the lands of Yorkshire and had a descendant, John de Hunself and Waldershelf, who had a son named William. In turn, William had a son named John, who take the surname Wilson to honor his father.

Another origin of this surname is Scotland, where there are old records of people with this surname. The last name is linked to the Viking settlers who arrived in Scotland in medieval times. In these regions, the surname Wilson is very old, and it is even linked to people who reached Scotland from Denmark. However, the first one to be found in a record is John Wulson, a merchant who served Sir John of Montgomery in 1405 in the ancient county of Berwickshire.

On the Irish side, it is believed that the surname reached this area thanks to the people who traveled from England and Scotland during the 17^th century.

Coat of arms
As we already mentioned, there were several lines of this surname. Each one of these lines gave birth to new family groups who came up with their own particular coat of arms. The common element in all of their coat of arms was the howling wolf. One of the most beautiful crests for the Wilson surname is one from the Irish side of the family, in which the colors green and yellow are predominant. Its most important elements are the yellow or gold color, which express generosity; black, which means constancy and also grief in some occasions; the green or velt color, which can symbolize hope, joy, loyalty, and love. The Chief represents an achievement in battle or authority and dominion, while the Estoile represents the goodness of God. Furthermore, the fleur de list symbolizes purity and light. And the most important of all, the wolf, symbolizes the rewards of persevering in an important field.

Spelling Variations
Wilson is a surname that has traveled long distances during times when not all cultures relied on a written system for their language, so they had to rely on pronunciation. Due to this fact, plus the mix of languages and dialects and also the different origins that it has, this surname has several spelling variations. Some of them are: Willson, Wilsone, Wilsoun, Willsonne, Wulson, Wilsoun, Wolosoun, Wolfson, Wilfson, Wylsone, among others.

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
As so happens with other surnames that have more than just one origin, Wilson is a popular last name thanks to how widely it spread. Actually, Wilson is in the 270^th position in the rank of the most common surnames in the world. There are approximately 1,766,181 people in the world with this surname. The country where it is most prevalent is the United States and it has the highest density in Turk and Caicos Islands. The second country with most users is England.

Early Bearers of the Surname
Other old bearers of the surname Wilson include John Wilison from England, who appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire in 1366. In Scotland, there was Michael Wilsoun, who was Burgess of Irvine in 1418, and John Wilson who was Burgess of Berwick in 1647. Also, Thomas Wolsoun, a resident of Neubotel Abbey in 1563, and Dand Vilsone and Pait Vilsoun, both residents of the abbot of Kelson in 1567. There is also a record from 1662 of William Willsoun, who was a resident of Cunyngham Baidland.

History, Genealogy, and Ancestry
The surname Wilson is among the last names with most genealogical lines. The first one is the line of the Wilsons of Brinkcliffe Tower. The head of this family was Reverend James Allen Wilson who was the Rector of Bolton-by-Bolland. He was born on June 3, 1827, and got married on April 4. 1860 to Catherine Remington, the youngest daughter of Henry Remington, Esquire of Melling and Aynsome. They had 6 children: George Allen Wilson (b. June 21, 1867), Henry Remington Allen Wilson (b. November 21, 1869), James Wilson (b. July 21, 1873), Reginald Wellesley Wilson (b. June 18, 1875), and Lionel Gathorne (b. September 25, 1876).

This branch of the Wilson family took up residence in Broomhead after Adam Wilson received the lands from Thomas, Lord Furnival at Wightwhistle, thanks to his performance during the war. Adam married Agnes Hunshelf, daughter of John Hunshelf, and from that union, he received the lands of West-Thorpe in Hoyland Sweyne. Their son, John Wilson, inherited these lands and later passed them on to his son, William Wilson, who had a son of his own named Christopher Wilson, Esquire of Broomhead and Captain in the Parliamentary army. Christopher got married on October 29, 1623 to Mary Ibboston, daughter of Reverend John Ibboston, and they had 6 children. The second son of this union was Charles Wilson who was a Reverend, Rector of Babworth, and Vicar of Sheffield. Circa 1661, he married Ann Altor, daughter of Reverend John Altor, who was also Rector of Little Thurlow. The eldest son of Charles and Ann was John Wilson, Esquire of Broomhead, born on September 13, 1672. He got married in 1711 to Mar Macro, daughter of Thomas Macro, Esquire of Bury St. Edmund. This union resulted in one son and two daughters; the son was John Wilson, Esquire of Broomhead, who was born on April 28, 1719. Years later, on September 11, 1746 he married Susannah Oates and died on March 3, 1783.

Out of all their children, the most remarkable was their fourth child, William Wilson, Esquire of Sheffield. He was born on March 24, 1754, and in October of 1784 he married Sara Allen, daughter of John Allen, Esquire of Chapeltown. William died on August 30, 1829, leaving a son: William of Fentoville, Sheffield, who was born on September 18, 1786. This William married Frances Woolhouse on May 23, 1812. William and his wife Frances had two sons and one daughter: William, George, and Sarah.

The second son of John Wilson and Susannah of Oates was James Wilson, who was born on July 19, 1789 and later became the Esquire of Brincliffe Tower. He got married on May 12, 1825 to Elizabeth Alderson, daughter of Reverend Jonathan Alderson, M.A. Rector of Harthill. James and Elizabeth had three children: James Allen, William Reginald, and Sophia Maria Alderson. James Wilson died on July 14, 1867.

The Wilsons of Dallam Tower are another line of Wilsons. George Edward Wilson, Esquire of Dallam Tower, was the leader of the family. He was born on November 17, 1814 and got married on March 3, 1843. He had 5 children: George Crowle (b. April 23, 1816), Charles Henry (b. December 28, 1847), Edward Hugh (b. February 3, 1849), Gertrude Sophia, and Harriet Maria. This family was one of the most important of the region. Edward Wilson, Esquire of Haversham Hall, was the son of Thomas Wilson of Kendall and grandson of Thomas Wilson, Esquire of Staveley Hall, Kendall. Edward Wilson died in July of 1707 at the age of 89, and he had a son named after him who was Esquire of Dallam Tower and married Catherin Fleming.

Edward and Catherin had a son, Daniel Wilson, who also became Esquire of Dallam Tower. Daniel married Elizabeth Crowle and then died on May 31, 1754, leaving several children behind, including George Wilson, who went on to become Colonel of the 1st Foot Guards. George was born in 1723 and he later married Anne Sybill; they had a daughter, but she died in infancy. Another of Daniel’s sons was Thomas Wilson, Barrister-at-Law. Daniel’s only daughter, Dorothy Wilson, married William Fleming in 1839; their son became a bishop. Edward Wilson was the eldest of Daniel’s children. He became Esquire of Dallam Tower and married Dorothy Fleming on June 19, 1746, with whom he had children of his own.

The children of Edward and Dorothy were Daniel Wilson and Dorothy Wilson. Dorothy married Richard Watson on December 21, 1773. Then, Daniel Wilson became Esquire of Dallam Tower and married Beatrix Egerton, daughter of Samuel Egerton, Esquire of Tatton Park. Through this line and after several marriages with other families and the death of some members was Sarah Wilson, who got married in 1811 to Colonel George Smith. Through this union, the Colonel took the surname Wilson. They had the following children: George Edward, who became Esquire of Dallam Tower, and Charles Henry, who became a reverend and Rector of Coberley. They also had other children including Frederick John, Georgiana, Sarah Maria, Elizabeth Ann, and Frances Laura. Colonel George died on March 3, 1853, and his wife Sarah died on May 29, 1831.

The third line of Wilsons are the Wilsons of Redgrave Hall. The leader of this family was George Holt Wilson, Esquire of Redgrave Hall, Suffolk. He was born on November 16, 1836 and got married on April 20, 1865 to Luey Caroline, the eldest daughter of William Edward James, Esquire of Barrock Park. They had 6 children: George Rowland Wilson (b. February 26, 1867), Arthur Holt Wilson (b. July 24, 1869), Basil Holt Wilson (b. September 7, 1872), Leonard Holt (b. July 28, 1876), and Villiers Holt (b. April 13, 1878).

The Wilsons of Redgrave are actually related to the Wilsons of Dallam Tower. Thomas Wilson, Esquire of Gray’s Inn was the third son of Daniel Wilson, Esquire of Dallam Tower, and his wife Elizabeth Crowle. Thomas married Lucinda Holt and died in 1808. This couple had two daughters, Lucinda and Isabella, and two sons, George and Daniel. The eldest, George Wilson, became Esquire of Redgrave Hall and also an Admiral. He married Catherine Pollard on August 22, 1831.

George and Catherine had many children. The first was George St. Vincent, who was the heir. Their second son, Thomas Daniel Holt, became a reverend and Rector of Redgrave. Thomas married Barbara Hales on November 26, 1839, and had their children, Charles Holt, Thomas Holt, Algernon George, Edward Hales, and John Henry. The third son of George and Catherine was Charles John, and they later had other children including John Wood, Lucinda Mary, Susan Mary, and Catherine Sarah.

Their first son George St. Vincent, became Esquire of Redgrave Hall and married Mathilda Louisa Surtees on June 5 of 1834. George died in December of 1852 and left two daughters and one son: Matilda Catherine, Anna Maria, and George Holt Vincent, who later became Esquire of Redgrave Hall.

The final line of Wilsons to mention is the Wilsons of Cliffe Hall, whose leader was John Wilson, Esquire of Cliffe Hall at York and Captain of the 94th regiment. He was born in December of 1841 and got married on June 4, 1873 to Angeline Rose, daughter of Rev. Henry O’Brien. Together, they had the following sons: Richard Bassett in 1874, Murrough John in 1875, and Harriet Anne Dorothy in 1876.

The lineage of this family comes from John Wilson, Esquire of Seacrofth and Cliffle Hall, who got married in 1799 to Martha, daughter of Richard Bassett, Esquire of Glentworth. They had two sons: Richard Bassett of Cliffle Hall and John of Seacrofth Hall, who married Anna Maria Isabella, daughter of Roderick Macloud, Esquire of Cadboll, in 1846. John and Anna had a son, Roderick John, who was a Barrister-at-Law.

Richard Bassett Wilson, born in 1806, was the heir of John Wilson and became Esquire of Cliffle Hall. He married Anne Fitzgerald on December 5, 1839. Richard died on March 23, 1867 and left the following children: John Gerald of Cliffle Hall, William Henry, who also took the surname Fitzgerald in 1872; Richard Bassett, born in 1846; Maurice Fitzgerald, who was born in 1858, and Juliana Cecilia, who married Thomas Sowerby in 1865. Juliana and Thomas had their children: Mary Lucia, Augusta June, and Emily Gertrude who married James Fitzgerald Bannatyne, Esquire of Summerville, on December 17, 1878.

Early American and New World Settlers
During the 17^th, 18^th, and 19^th centuries, many people decided to travel from Europe to the New World to look for a different life. The emigration of these people to America, contributed to the expansion of their surnames. Wilson was not the exception; therefore, there are many people that need to be mentioned. For example, in the 17^th century some of the Wilsons that reached America were: Clement Wilson and John Wilson, who both arrived in Virginia in 1623. In 1651, Andrew Wilson had the opportunity to reach New England, and another Andrew Wilson got to Boston, Massachusetts as well as Christopher Wilson, a prisoner from Scotland.

During the 18^th century, the arrival of Wilsons to America kept on going, and therefore we have Cornelius Wilson, who got to Virginia in 1712, and David Wilson, who also landed in Virginia, but in 1719. Other early settlers in America include Anne Wilson, who got to Maryland in 1734; Alexander Wilson, a man with Scottish and Irish ascendency who arrived in Boston between 1730 and 1736, and Elizabeth Wilson, who got to Augusta County, VA in 1740.

In the 19^th century, Samuel Wilson landed in New York; he traveled from Londonderry in 1803. That same year, Joseph Wilson got to Philadelphia from Belfast. Also in 1803, Eleanor Wilson arrived in Pennsylvania. In 1806, James Wilson traveled to New York from Dublin, and the next year, Brown Wilson reached Ohio.

As in other occasions, the US was not the only country to receive immigrants with the Wilson surname since Canada did so too. In 1703, Richard Wilson arrived in Saint John, Newfoundland. Others got to Nova Scotia in 1774, such as Ann Wilson and Barbara Wilson. Also, Mr. Dyann Wilson U.E. reached Prot Roseway, Nova Scotia in 1783; he traveled from New York.

In the 19^th century, more Wilsons landed in Canada, such as John Wilson, who got to Saint John, Newfoundland in 1813; he traveled from Yorkshire. Then, in 1815, George Wilson, Isobel Wilson, and James Wilson landed in Quebec aboard the Atlas.

Mottoes
Thanks to how widely it spread across the world, there are many families with the Wilson surname that are not related to each other. Therefore, there also have many different mottoes. Among the most important mottoes, we can find:

• “Expecta cuncta superné” or “expect all things from above.”
• “Facta non verba” or “deeds not worts.”
• “Fortiter et fideliter” or “boldly and faithfully.”
• “Non nobis solum,” which means “not for ourselves alone.”
• “Perserverantia palma,” which means “by perseverance (one gains) the palm.”
• “Pro leqibus et regibus,” which means “for laws and kings.”
• “Res non verba” or “facts not words.”
• “Semper vigilans” or “always watchful.”
• “Venture and gain.”
• “Vincit qui se vincit” or “he conquers who conquers himself.”
• “Virtus ad sidera tollit,” which means “virtue raises to the starts.”
• “Virtus sibi premium,” which is translated as “virtue is its own reward.”

Mottoes were used by families to express many different things, such as how they live, their code of honor, how they see the word, or the things that are important to them, like religion and honor. They also helped families differentiate themselves from the rest, as each one had their own unique motto.

Grantees
We were unable to locate any documented grantees for the Wilson family.

Notables
There have been many bearers of the Wilson surname with outstanding careers in their respective fields. Among the most important we have: A.D. Wilson (1844-1920) a cartographer from the US, Aaron Wilson, a Canadian lacrosse player born on 1980, Alastair Wilson (b. 1983) a British Field hockey player, and Alan Wilson (b. 1973), a politician who is the current Attorney General of South Carolina. Moreover, there is Amanda Wilson, a British singer born in 1980, and Amy Wilson, an American artist born in 1973. In sports, there is B.A. Wilson, a Nascar driver from the US. Furthermore, there is Bee Wilson, the British food writer, and historian, and the first female Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Bertha Wilson (1923-2007). Other notables Wilsons, include the singer-songwriter and producer from Australia, Boyd Wilson, American boxer Darroll Wilson, actress and comedian Debra Wilson (b. 1962), and US journalist Earl Wilson (1907-1987). Royston Warner Wilson (1900-1965), was an English script and cartoonist, while John Dover Wilson (1881-1969) was a Shakespearean scholar, and Sir Erasmus Wilson (1809-1887) was an English surgeon and antiquarian.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes