Sison
Usually an English surname meaning “Ciss’s son,” originally a pet-form descendant of Cecilia or Cicely.
The #9,033 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,360 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally explained as a patronymic from the medieval nickname or pet form Siss or Ciss, itself used for women named Cecilia or Cicely. In that sense, it means “son of Siss/Ciss,” with the first element ultimately tied to Latin Cecilia. Some 19th-century writers also treated related forms as double diminutives built on the same female personal name.
History
This surname is recorded in medieval English sources and later appears in spellings such as Sisson, Sissens, and Sison. The form is especially associated with northern and eastern English records, where nickname-based surnames of this type were common. The modern spelling Sison is usually treated as a reduced variant of the better-known Sisson.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 1379 Yorkshire Poll Tax reference is among the early records cited for this surname family.
From the historical record
“[f. Gr. Kipios, a lord, master] SISON 1 (A.-rr.-Lat.) 1 Siss's or Ciss's Son: SISSON J Ciss, a dim. of Cicdy or Cecilia [Lat. Ceecilia, fem. of Cacilius; app.f.Lat. ctscus, blind] 2 a double dim. of Cicely or Cecilia [Fr. dim. suff. -on'] In theYorks PoU-Tax, a.d. 1379, we find”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)