Bryson Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Bryson Family History

Bryson Family History

The family history of the ancient name Bryson was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Bryson include Brisoun, Brison and Briceson. This is an old name of Norman origin meaning 'son of Brice'. This name is found throughout England, Wales and Scotland and is found in many ancient records. Examples of such are Duncan Briceson who was recorded as having being part guilty of the slaughter of Walter de Ogilvy, Sheriff of the Mearns, in the year 1392. A William Bryson was recorded as a Scots prisoner of war who was liberated from the Tower of London in 1413.

Names were recorded in these ancient documents to make it easier for their overlords to collect taxes and to keep records of the population at any given time. When the overlords acquired land by either force or gifts from their rulers, they created charters of ownership for themselves and their vassals. It was by the method of creating and updating these old reference books that they were able to maintain their authority and enforce laws.

In Ireland the name Bryson is an anglicized form of the Gaelic O'Muirgheasain sept name, the sept having been located in Counties Derry and Donegal. This name was originally changed to O'Mrisane and O'Morison before later being anglicized as Bryson and Briceson. The Bryson family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Bryson descendants.