Burtis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Burtis is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Burtis is a name that comes from the Norman personal name and was originally spelled Berte. That name is derived from the word berht, which means light. Hence the name could have been a nickname for someone who was "bright, clear or splendid" having derived from the Anglo Saxon word "beorht." 1

Early Origins of the Burtis family

The surname Burtis was first found in Norfolk where Thomas de Burt and Hamo Burt were first listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls also listed Ralph Burte in Leicestershire and Roger Burt in Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Burtis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burtis research. Another 169 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1066 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Burtis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burtis Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Burt, Burte, Birt, Burts, Berte, Burte, Birte and many more.

Early Notables of the Burtis family

More information is included under the topic Early Burtis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burtis family to Ireland

Some of the Burtis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burtis migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Burtis or a variant listed above were:

Burtis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Pietro Caesar Burtis, who landed in New York, NY in 1635 3

Burtis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

W Burtis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Burtis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burtis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Burtis U.E. born in Long Island, New York, USA who settled in New Brunswick c. 1783 4
Mr. William Burtis U.E. born in Westchester County, New York, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 he died in 1835 4

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X