Geeson - Name

This unusual name is the patronymic form of the surname Gee, and means "son of Gee", from the male given name which was a short form of male personal names such as "Geoffrey", "George" and "Gerard". The name is found particularly well recorded in the northern and midland counties of England, in both its original and patronymic forms, the latter being very well recorded in Leicestershire. In some cases the modern surname may be locational in origin, from a place called "Gee Cross" near Stockport in Cheshire; the first recording of the name Gee is from there, in 1494, when one Dicon Gee appears in the East Stockport Parish Register. Henry Geeson married Katherine Kilckes in December 1604, at Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and in London, in March 1638, Thomas Geeson was christened at St. Andrew by the Wardrobe. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Mary Geason, which was dated November 30th 1564, marriage to William Burbidge, at Eastwell, Leicestershire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. 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.