Stimpson

This is one of the many patronymic forms of the male given name Stephen, i.e. son of Stephen. Stephen originated from the Greek "stephanos" meaning crown or wreath. The Greeks in their great days had no liking for kings, but the wreath of leaves awarded to athletic champions was looked upon as the greatest award obtainable. It was St. Stephen, the first martyr, who made the name famous. Though widespread on the Continent, Stephen was not used in England before the Norman Conquest; it is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, as Stefanus. By the fourteenth century, it was generally written as Stevyn or Steven. The "p" in Stimpson is intrusive and follows "m" in many surnames e.g. Simpson, Thompson or Hampson. Early recordings of the surname include; James Stimpson who married Joane Curtis, on December 14th 1614, at St. Katherine by the Tower, London, and Susana Stimpson, daughter of Robert and Ellenor Stimpson who was christened on November 27th 1630, at St. Andrews, Holborn. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Edward Stynson, which was dated 1539, The Northumberland County Records, during the reign of King Henry V111, "Good King Hal", 1509 - 1547. 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.