Meaning: Its source is Tison, an Old French name meaning "High-spirited."

Nicknames: Ty

Source Forms: Tison

Popularity: The name Tyson ranked 314th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of 2000-2003 Social Security Administration statistics and 569th in popularity for males of all ages in a sample of the 1990 US Census.

Though this name appears on the 1990 U.S. Census lists, it is used by only a small percentage of the general population.

Narrative: There is another source for Tyson, which may have developed in parallel with the Old French Tison to create the modern name.

In the Middle Ages, women known by the Latin name Dionysia (feminine form of the source of Dennis) were called Dye as a nickname. Over time, this diminutive developed into a surname -- ''Dye's son,'' another possible ancestor to Tyson.