Anderson

This interesting surname is of English and Scottish origin, and is a patronymic of the surname Andrew, which is derived from the personal name from the Greek "Andreas", a derivative of "andreios", manly, from "aner", man, male. This was the name of the first of Jesus Christ's disciples, and it is also the name of the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia. The personal name was first recorded as "Andreas" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and the surname was first recorded in Scotland with one John Andree, who was present at the perambulation of the boundaries of Kyrknes and Louchor in 1395. The modern surname can be found as Andrew(e)s, Andress, Andriss, Anderson, Enderson, McAndrew and Kendrew. One William Anderson was an early settler in America, setting sail from London on the "Alexander" bound for the Barbadoes in May 1635. Among the recordings in London is the christening of Neal, son of Erasmus and Mary Anderson, on March 19th 1698, at St. Katherine by the Tower. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Rogerus Andreweson, which was dated 1272, in the "Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Edward 111, known as "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. 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.