Wilson
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Wilson Surname Genealogy
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Harold Wilson was the British Prime Minister in the 1960's and 1970's.
Brian Wilson was the founding member and lead singer of the American Beachboys group.
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Wilson is a patronymic English name,
meaning
"son of
Will," a contraction of
William. It is mainly found in the north of England, as opposed
to Wills and Willis which are far more common in the south. In
Scotland, the thinking has been that the Scottish Wilsons were
originally of Viking origin and that Wilson was instead a corruption of
"wolf's son."
Other notable Wilsons in Yorkshire have been:
Scotland. The Wilson clan in Scotland may have taken its name from Will Gunn who held the title of "Crowner" of Caithness around 1464.
However, the name had surfaced earlier on the Scottish borders. There were the Wilsons of Croglin near Dumfries, Wilsons in Berwickshire (where John Wilson was a burgess in 1467), and the Wilsons featured initially as a Border clan. In the 17th century, the murder of the "virgin martyr" Margaret Wilson by Cromwell's troops in Berwickshire caused many Wilsons who were Covenanters to move west into Ayrshire. Other Wilsons had already drifted southwards into England.
The Wilson name had become fairly well established in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire by the 18th century. Robert Wilson, living in the mid 1700's, was the forebear of the Wilsons of Kilwinnet in Ayrshire. A Wilson family from East Forth in Lanarkshire started up the Wilsontown ironworks there in the 1770's. Another Wilson family, merchant weavers at Bannockburn near Stirling, has handed down their records of the tartan trade from 1750 to the early 1900's.
Ireland. The Wilson name is also to be found mainly in Ulster, and in particular in Antrim. The name could be an anglicization of the Gaelic word O'Shauagh or "fox". However, most Wilsons there are probably of Scottish ancestry.
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Wilson Resources on
The
Internet
- The Wilson Name. Wilson name origins.
- The Wilson Sept. The Wilson sept of the Gunn clan in Scotland.
- Wilsons of Kilwinnet. A Wilson family in Ayrshire.
- Wilsontown. Wilsontown ironworks in Lanarkshire.
- Wilson Family History. Wilsons from Yorkshire and Durham.
- History of the Wilson Family. Wilsons from Ireland to America.
- Wilson Family History. Wilsons from Scotland to Australia and New Zealand.
- Wilson DNA Project. Wilson DNA.
Other notable Wilsons in Yorkshire have been:
- The Wilsons of Eshton Park in Malhamdale. Mathew Wilson,
originally from Westmoreland, had purchased the house in 1646. He
was a Royalist supporter during the Civil War and the ghost of the
Royalist leader in the north, James Fairfax, is said to haunt the
grounds. The house stayed with the family for over three hundred
years. A later Mathew Wilson, a Yorkshire MP, was made a baronet
in 1874.
- Thomas Wilson of Leeds, the 17th century forebear of the Wilsons
of Melton in the East Ridings near Hull.
- later, James Wilson of Sneaton castle near Whitby. He had
made a fortune from a sugar plantation on St. Vincent and returned in
1820 to acquire a castle and become a pillar of Yorkshire society.
- and Thomas Wilson, who founded the Wilson shipping line of Hull
in 1822. His family home of Tranby Croft near Hull was best known
for a gambling scandal involving the Prince of Wales in 1890.
Scotland. The Wilson clan in Scotland may have taken its name from Will Gunn who held the title of "Crowner" of Caithness around 1464.
However, the name had surfaced earlier on the Scottish borders. There were the Wilsons of Croglin near Dumfries, Wilsons in Berwickshire (where John Wilson was a burgess in 1467), and the Wilsons featured initially as a Border clan. In the 17th century, the murder of the "virgin martyr" Margaret Wilson by Cromwell's troops in Berwickshire caused many Wilsons who were Covenanters to move west into Ayrshire. Other Wilsons had already drifted southwards into England.
The Wilson name had become fairly well established in Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire by the 18th century. Robert Wilson, living in the mid 1700's, was the forebear of the Wilsons of Kilwinnet in Ayrshire. A Wilson family from East Forth in Lanarkshire started up the Wilsontown ironworks there in the 1770's. Another Wilson family, merchant weavers at Bannockburn near Stirling, has handed down their records of the tartan trade from 1750 to the early 1900's.
Ireland. The Wilson name is also to be found mainly in Ulster, and in particular in Antrim. The name could be an anglicization of the Gaelic word O'Shauagh or "fox". However, most Wilsons there are probably of Scottish ancestry.
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Alexander
Wilson was a Scots-born American ornothologist of the 18th
century.
Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. He saw America through the end of World War One but failed to get American backing for the League of Nations.
Sir Henry Wilson, born in Ireland, was Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War One. He was assassinated by Irish extremists in 1922.
Bill Wilson was the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York in the 1930's.
Edmund Wilson was an American
writer and literary critic.Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States. He saw America through the end of World War One but failed to get American backing for the League of Nations.
Sir Henry Wilson, born in Ireland, was Chief of the Imperial General Staff during World War One. He was assassinated by Irish extremists in 1922.
Bill Wilson was the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous in New York in the 1930's.
Harold Wilson was the British Prime Minister in the 1960's and 1970's.
Brian Wilson was the founding member and lead singer of the American Beachboys group.
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- 228,000 in the UK (most numerous in Lancashire)
- 246,000 in America (most numerous in Texas)
- 134,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Australia)
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For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.
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