Garretson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Garrett,” with Garrett itself a medieval form of Gerard.
The #8,681 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 81,592 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is best explained as a patronymic built from Garrett, a familiar medieval English form of Gerard. In that tradition, Garretson meant literally “son of Garrett,” and Garrett ultimately goes back to a Germanic name meaning something like “spear-hard” or “brave with the spear.” Some 19th-century writers also suggested that a few cases could reflect a place-name origin, but the patronymic explanation is the main one.
History
Bardsley treats Garretson as a baptismal surname, and the later sources repeat the same basic derivation. The name is uncommon and appears mostly in English-speaking records, especially in Britain and the United States. A few historical writers noted the possibility of confusion with similar surnames such as Garrison.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes grouped Garretson with forms like Garrard and Garrison because spelling was so fluid in medieval and early modern records.
From the historical record
“Xx>ndon, 2 ; Boston (U.S.), 2. Garretson, GarrisoD, Gar- rettson. — Bapt. * the son of Gerard ' (v. Garrard), popularly Garret In some cases it may represent Garriston, from the place of that name, co. York, as suggested by”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)