Stetson
A surname that likely began as a Danish nickname for a stepson, though the evidence is thin.
The #8,501 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 79,676 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The 19th-century source quoted here treats Stetson as coming from Danish Stedson, meaning “stepson,” with the first element related to a word for step- or place-like beginnings in older Scandinavian forms. In modern surname terms, it is best understood as a nickname-based name rather than a true patronymic from a personal given name. Because the excerpt is brief and somewhat compressed, the exact linguistic path should be treated cautiously.
History
The name is established in English-language records and is especially familiar in the United States. One well-known bearer was John B. Stetson, the hat manufacturer whose name became associated with cowboy hats. The surname remains relatively uncommon, but recognizable because of that commercial association.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
John B. Stetson’s hat company made the family name famous far beyond genealogy circles.
From the historical record
“STENNETT. (Dan.) Local From stenet, stony, rocky. STETSON. Stedson, in Danish, is a stepson. STEVENS. From Stephen, from the Greek Sretfovof, a crown. STEWART. Walter, the son of Fleance, and grand-son of Banquo, was created, by Malcom III. Lord High Steward of Scotland, from which office his family afterward took…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names