Margarson

Recorded in a number of spellings including Margerson, Margerrison, Marjerrison, Marjorison, Margesson, Marginson and others, this is an early surname. It is one of the much rarer metronymics, as against the usual patronymics, and describes a male person whose surname is from his mothers side, and not the fathers. This may because the mother was the landowner in her own right, or perhaps because the father had died previously. The origination is the female given name Margerie, from the Roman (Latin) Margarita, meaning Pearl, but ultimately from a Persian word meaning "child of light". Early examples include John Margerie in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195, whilst metronymic forms of the name first appear in the county of Yorkshire, where the name is still popular with Robert Majorison in the Poll Tax returns of that county in 1379. Other examples taken from early church registers include that on May 10th 1563 of Johan Margerson and Raybrowne Wright who were married at Birstall in Yorkshire, whilst Richard Marginson married Ann Beddow at Christ Church Spitalfields city of London on October 26th 1819. Roger Margeryson also appears in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379 during the reign of King Richard IInd known as Richard of Bordeaux, 1377 - 1399. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.