stetson

The story

1. Old English · derived from*Stīthweardes
2. Middle English · inherited fromStidewardesdoune
3. English todayStetson

A variant of Stitson, a habitational name from Stidston (“site in the Parish of South Brent”), from Middle English Stidewardesdoune, Stidewardeston, Stitewardeston, Styddeston, from Old English *Stīthweardes (genitive of *Stīthweard (personal name)) + tūn (“farmstead estate”). * (hat): From Stetson, an American brand of hat named after its manufacturer, John B. Stetson Company, itself named after John B. Stetson, who founded it in 1865. The hats were widely known in the 1870s and 1880s. Sol Steinmetz stated in 2010 that Stetson hat was first attested in 1900, but this is clearly mistaken, being several decades too late; it may be that what Steinmetz had meant to write is that Stetson alone as a common noun meaning a Stetson hat was first attested in 1900.