What is the meaning and origin of the suffix “-son”?

Question

A friend recently asked me the meaning of the name Madison. Although I wasn’t sure of the meaning of Madison, it prompted a discussion about the suffix ‑son, seen in a lot of names: Jefferson, Henderson, Johnson, Harrison, etc.

I suspect it comes from English, as these names seem to be English in origin, but other than that I could find no information pertaining to the suffix.

tl;dr: What is the origin and definition of the suffix ‑son?

Hi and welcome to ELU. Please try searching for an answer before posting here. If you don't find a satisfactory answer, mention what you found in your question and why it was not enough. — terdon, Sep 02 '13 at 16:20
Surely this is General Reference. My surname is Harrison - as it happens, my father's forename is Harry, but that's just coincidence. Somewhere back in history was the original Harry whose child adopted the disamguating name Harry's son* = Harrison. So far as Madison* is concerned, it's a variant of Mathieson meaning son of Matthew. Again, GR. — FumbleFingers, Sep 02 '13 at 16:20
@FumbleFingers Tell me you are actually Harry Harrison, Harry's son :). Your father is not by any chance the recently deceased and much lamented author, Harry Harrison? My condolences and profound respect if so. — terdon, Sep 02 '13 at 16:21
@terdon: Sadly, no can do. He does actually have a grandson called Harry (a nephew, not mine), but I think it's a real hassle having to disambiguate them as "Big Harry" and "Little Harry". Besides, the youngster is now physically bigger, and getting tired of the handle (16 years ago, nobody expect the now-94-year-old to be still around long enough for a problem to arise! :). I don't really understand why three generations of Loudon Wainwrights would have wanted to perpetuate this kind of "ancestor-worship". — FumbleFingers, Sep 02 '13 at 16:30

Rubric K. Venison · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-02T17:52:04.870

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It means son. Many languages use an equivalent ending: Mendelssohn, Jespersen. Icelandic still has individualized surnames and you can find Jónsson along with a sister, Jónsdóttir.

Madison - Either means "son of Maud" or "son of Matthew," depending on your source. I was unable to find a source I would claim reliable enough to settle it, and perhaps none exists. It is very likely that there are multiple sources.

edited Sep 02 '13 at 17:52

answered Sep 02 '13 at 16:19

Rubric K. Venison

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I don't think that Maud is likely to be right. It's very unusual for the female parent's name to be used in this way. – FumbleFingers Sep 02 '13 at 16:22
Unusual, yes; but not unheard of. Icelandic footballer Heiðar Helguson, for example, is named after his mother (Helga), rather than his father. @Rubric: Just to be really pernickety, you’d more accurately find Jónsson and Jónsdóttir in Icelandic. :-) – Janus Bahs Jacquet Sep 02 '13 at 16:39
(That’s not to say that Madison is from Maud. It might be in some cases, but most Madisons are likely from Matthew’s son, Mathi(e)son, as mentioned in @FumbleFingers’ comment to the question itself above) – Janus Bahs Jacquet Sep 02 '13 at 16:41
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Apparently, "George" was rarely used in England until the German-born George I came to the British throne in the 18th century,, which presumably explains why there aren't many Georgesons today. There are plenty of people with surnames based on most boy's names popular in medieval times, but I don't know of anyone at all with a surname based on the popular *girl's* names in that link. – FumbleFingers Sep 02 '13 at 16:52
There is the surname "Alison." – James McLeod Sep 02 '13 at 20:25
"Marriott" is derived from "Mary" and became a popular surname after crusaders returned to England. According to this website, Maud or Mahalt were popular feminine names in England due to Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, and that's the primary source of Madison surnames. (Although I'm sure a portion are corruption of Matthi(e)son, too.) – ghoppe Sep 03 '13 at 07:23

What is the meaning and origin of the suffix “-son”?

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