This is a patronymic i.e."the son of Will" itself a short form of the Olde German personal name William, a compound of the elements "wil" meaning "will" or "desire", plus "helm", a helmet or protection. The name was popular with the Normans who introduced it into England. One, Robertus filius (son of) Willelmi appears in the Domeday Book of 1086. It is first recorded as a surname in 1279, Richard William, The Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire". The patronymic form appears in the thirteen hundreds (see below). The spelling Wilsone is particularly well recorded in 17th Century Marriage Registers of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. On February 7th 1609, Agnes Wilsone married an Alexander Moir at St. Nicholas, Aberdeen and on June 5th 1677, Robert Wilsone and Isobel Lawson were married at Old Machar. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Willeson. which was dated 1324, The Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire. during the reign of King Edward II, Edward of Caernafon, 1307 - 1327. 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.

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