The Wesson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,217 people carried this name — #6,505 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 56,500 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (5,228).

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Wesson surname

A patronymic surname from Wes + -son, literally son of Wes, the latter a diminutive of the male given name Wesley.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Wesson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

40 families named Wesson, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 208 people lived in those households, 5.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 24
Maine 9
New Hampshire 2
Vermont 2
Virginia 2
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 268 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Wesson in American newspapers,
1893–1907.

Newspaper page from Springfield Weekly Republican carrying the name Wesson
Springfield Weekly Republican 1907-02-21
Newspaper page from Springfield Weekly Republican carrying the name Wesson
Springfield Weekly Republican 1906-08-09
Newspaper page from Springfield Weekly Republican carrying the name Wesson
Springfield Weekly Republican 1893-06-23

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Wesson in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1960s.

986 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wesson. The most, 182, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Victoria, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 298
Victoria 289
Queensland 145
South Australia 124
Western Australia 92
Tasmania 29
Northern Territory 5
ACT (Canberra) 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Wesson.

Who carried it

People named Wesson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Daniel B. Wesson
    Daniel B. Wesson 1825–1906 · entrepreneur
  • Charles M. Wesson
    Charles M. Wesson 1878–1956 · military personnel
  • Kerry Wesson d. 2014
  • Maria Loraine Wesson 1810–1887
  • Sarah Jeannette Wesson 1848–1927
  • Walter Herbert Wesson 1850–1921

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Wesson,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States379 records

379 records of the Wesson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 193
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 80
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 53
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 26
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 12
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 11
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Kathleen D. Wesson

    Born 1899 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at Los Angeles, California; secondary school teacher. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Riverside National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Lanny Lamar Wesson

    Born 1947; from Cedartown, Georgia. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Wesson

    Arrived at New York in 1853 aboard the Saratoga from Liverpool, aged 50; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 379 records for Wesson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia34 records

34 records of the Wesson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 21
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 12
  • Ballarat Avenue of Honour, First World War 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Wesson

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Austral, aged 3; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record Harry N. Wesson

    Enlisted in 1915 with the 8th Battalion. Honoured on the Ballarat Avenue of Honour.

    City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Samuel J. Wesson

    Grocer of Brunswick, Victoria; died 1892.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 34 records for Wesson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada12 records

12 records of the Wesson name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • City of Waterloo (Ontario) cemetery records 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Chas Wesson

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Missippi, landing at Quebec, bound for Bradford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Wesson

    Buried in 1991 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 77.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Arthur Monroe Wesson

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 12 records for Wesson in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom5 records

5 records of the Wesson name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. E. Wesson

    Lancashire Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Wesson

    Somerset Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Wesson

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Wesson in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France1 record

1 record of the Wesson name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Marie Wesson

    Born 1924 in Montsoult (Yvelines); died 1984 in Chartres (Eure-et-Loir).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Wesson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Wesson is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Wesson volume
Scroll to Top