Recorded in many forms including Milson, Millson, Millsom, Millsum, Melsom, Melsome and Melson, this is an English surname. It is said to be a patronymic of the personal name Miles, itself originating from the pre 8th century Anglo-Saxon Milo, from the German element "mil" meaning beloved or merciful. The personal name was recorded in England before the Norman Invasion of 1066, but it was their entry and useage which gave it its popularity in the medieval period. The surname is first recorded in the early 14th century, and other examples of these early recordings include those of Thomas Milsson in the Poll Tax records of Yorkshire in 1379, and Robert Melson in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1524. Examples of the early recordings in the surviving church registers of the diocese of Greater London include Anne Melsam who married William White at St. Mary Woolchurch, on April 1st 1594, and Thomas Milson who married Margarett Lloyd on July 16th 1660, at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, whilst Thomas Melson is recorded in the Hearth Tax Returns for Suffolk in 1674. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Richard Milleson. This was dated 1309, in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire, during the reign of King Edward 11nd of England,1307 - 1327. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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