Gameson - Name

This unusual and interesting name has two possible origins, the first and most likely being from the English nickname surname for someone who was fond of and good at games, a merry, sporty, person. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century "gamen", middle English "game"or "gamen". The name would also have been given to the winner of the "gamen", the prize in a foot-race. The second possible origin is from the Old Norse byname or nickname "Gamal(l)", meaning 'old", which, surprisingly was used as a personal name during the Middle Ages in Northern England. From either source, "Gameson" or "Gamson" is the patronymic form, meaning "son of". One, Phebe Gameson" was married to Robert Martin at St. Mary's, Marylebone, London in June 1771. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Gamen (witness). which was dated 1251, Feet of Fines, Essex. during the reign of King Henry III, The Frenchman, 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.