Henderson

This is an ancient Scottish name, the patronymic (meaning "son of") form

of Hendry, a mainly Scottish variant of the personal name "Henry". Some

bearers of the name Henderson are descended from Henrysons, the "d"

being a common intrusive element in many languages between "n" and "r".

Henry is from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "haim"

or "heim", home, and "ric", power. It was introduced into England by the

Normans after the Conquest of 1066 as "Henri". In Scotland the

Hendersons of Fordell in Fifeshire are the chief Lowland family of the

name, and are believed to be descended from an old Dumfriesshire family

of Henrysons. A branch of the Clan Gunn bears the name Henderson, and

there is another Clan Henderson of Glencoe. An interesting namebearer,

recorded in the "Dictionary of National Biography", was John Henderson

(1747 - 1785), who was a notable actor of his day, considered second

only to David Garrick. The first recorded spelling of the family name is

shown to be that of William Henrisone, which was dated 1374, in Scottish

Papers, in the Public Records Office, during the reign of King Robert 11

of Scotland, 1371 - 1390. 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.