There is doubt as to the exact origin of this name as clearly at some point in time probably about circa 1550, a considerable spelling change occurred. It is possibly of Olde English origin and a derivative of "Hisc or Hwisc" meaning a Warrior or Tribesman, plus the Anglo-Saxon patronymic "son" now "som". However, it is most probable that the name is locational and a dialectually transposed variant of the Domesday Book (1086) "Hessam" and translating as "the house (Ham) in the wood" (Haes), or as found in the Lancashire Town "Heysham". The surname could also be a variant of "Hysman" - meaning "the friend or servant of the warrior". The recordings include Jeffrey Hysome at St. Botolph without Aldgate (July 11th 1652) and Robert Hysom, a witness at St. George in the East, Stepney, on January 22nd 1737. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elizabeth Hysym, which was dated August 8th 1650, christened at St. Olaves Church, Hart Street, London, during the reign of Oliver Cromwell, "The Lord Protector", 1649 - 1658. 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.