Tyson

The English surname Tyson has dual meanings. The first origin comes from an old French word “tison”, which means 'tea' and was probably used as a nickname for a person with a fiery temper or an agitator. The second origin suggests that Tyson is a variant of Dyson, a metronymic surname derived from the medieval female given name Dye, a pet form of Dionysus. Dionysus was the Greek god of the grape harvest, winemaking, and wine (in Roman mythology, his counterpart was Bacchus). The Tyson surname dates back to the 12th century in England. Its use as a given name is a creation of the 20th century and especially in the United States.

Popularity

Tyson first appeared on the US naming charts in 1966. It jumped into use fairly quickly, although it is unclear what influenced the sudden interest in this name. By the time Mike Tyson entered the scene in the mid-1980s, the name was already achieving some of its highest levels of popularity. Even Tyson's misbehavior in the 1990s did little to deter people from using this name on their young children. It does appear that Tyson is enjoying his ride on the wave of the "last name first" trend in America. Though we think it's peaked out in pretty moderate usage at this point. Occasionally this name is used for girls, but not often enough to place it in the female naming tables. It is a short and simple name, with a 'fire' meaning

Famous people named Tyson

Tyson Ballou (male model)

Tyson Beckford (male model)

Tyson Chandler (basketball player)