This interesting surname with variant spellings Ameson, Amson, Ammeson, Amison, Aimson, etc., is a patronymic of the old French personal name "Amis" meaning "French" from the Latin "Amicus", a derivative of "Amare" meaning "to love". It may also be a nickname for a friendly person. The creation of a surname from a nickname was a common practice in the middle Ages and many modern-day surnames derive from medieval nicknames referring to personal characteristics as in this instance "Ami". The name dates back to the mid 14th Century (see below). Further recordings include Willelmus Amyson (1379), "the Poll Tax Records of Howdenshire" and John Amysson (1384), "the Calendar of Close Rolls". One Matthew Amson married Agnes Streettone in Prestbury Church, Cheshire, in 1568, Ralph Amson of Sandbach, Cheshire is recorded in the Wills at Chester in 1589 and one William Ammeson married Ann Clark on February 16th 1768 at St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Amysone of Northamptonshire, which was dated 1358, The Enforcement of the Statutes of Labourers, during the reign of King Edward 111, "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. 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.