Gantt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Gantt came to England with the ancestors of the Gantt family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Gantt family lived person who was "gaunt," 1 as in Shakespeare's character John of Gaunt in Richard II "Oh how my name befits my composition! Old Gaunt, indeed, and gaunt in being old." Another more credible origin of the name is having derived "from the town of Gaunt, now Ghent, in Flanders." 2

This source continues "Gilbert de Gand or Gant, a great Domesday tenant, was son of Baldwin, Earl of Flanders, whose sister William the Conqueror married." 2

"Few among the Conqueror's companions of arms were so splendidly rewarded as Gilbert de Gand, who held one hundred and seventy-two English manors." 3

"Among the soldiers of the Conquest, few were more largely rewarded than Duke William's nephew, Gilbert de Gaunt, son of Baldwin, Earl of Flanders, and it is therefore very unlikely that his name should be altogether omitted in the Roll of Battle Abbey. At the period of the general survey, we find Gilbert de Gant possessed of Manors in the counties of Berks, Oxford, York, Cambridge, Bucks, Huntingdon, Northampton, Rutland, Leicester, Warwick, Notts, and Lincoln, in all a hundred and seventy- three lordships, of which Folkingham was caput baroniae. Like most of the great lords of his time, Gilbert disgorged a part of the spoil, thus acquired, to the Church, and amongst other acts of piety, restored Bardney Abbey, in Lincolnshire, which had been destroyed by the Pagan Danes, Inquar and Hubba. " 4

Early Origins of the Gantt family

The surname Gantt was first found in Kent where Richard le Gaunt was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1219. The same year Gilbert de Gaunt was listed in the same rolls in Lincolnshire. A few years later, Maurice le Gant was listed in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1225. 5

"This family is mentioned as early as 1153-1194 in the Durham "Bolden Buke" where it is said the 'Gilbert the Chamberlain held the service of Ralfe Caunt, of Bursebred, in exchange for the Isle of Bradbere.' In Bishop Hatfield's time (1345-1381) Henry de Kaunt held lands in Kyo. " 6

Maurice le Gant (died 1230) was the founder of Beverston Castle in Gloucestershire in 1225. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had numerous entries for the family: Hugh le Gant and John le Gant in Oxfordshire; Gilbert le Gaunt in Cambridgeshire; Robert le Gaunt in Lincolnshire; and Henry le Gaunt and Maurice de Gaunt in Somerset.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Willelmus Gaunte; and Petrus de Gaunt. 7

Early History of the Gantt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gantt research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1219, 1340, 1399 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Gantt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gantt Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Gaunt, Gant, Kaunt and others.

Early Notables of the Gantt family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Elizabeth Gaunt (died 1685), an English woman from London sentenced to death for treason for involvement in the Rye House Plot. She was the wife of William Gaunt, a yeoman of the parish of St. Mary's, Whitechapel. "She was an Anabaptist, and, according to Burnet, spent her life doing good, 'visiting gaols, and looking after the poor of every persuasion.' In the reign of Charles II she had taken pity on one Burton, outlawed for his part in the Rye House plot. Though she was a poor woman, keeping a tallow-chandler's shop, she...
Another 134 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gantt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gantt Ranking

In the United States, the name Gantt is the 3,145^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 8

Gantt migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Gantt or a variant listed above:

Gantt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johannes Gantt, who landed in New York in 1709 9
Edward Gantt, who landed in Maryland in 1770 9

Gantt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Gantt, aged 22, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1821 9

Gantt Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Elliot Kip Gantt, who landed in America, in 1905
John Lewellyn Gantt, aged 39, who immigrated to America, in 1907

Contemporary Notables of the name Gantt (post 1700) +

David F. Gantt (1941-2020), American politician, Member of the Monroe County, New York Legislature (1973-1982)
Edward Gantt (1746-1837), American Episcopal clergyman who served as Chaplain of the Senate of the United States
Harvey B Gantt (b. 1943), American architect and politician
Henry Laurence Gantt A.B., M.E. (1861-1919), American engineer, eponym of the Ganntt Chart, a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule
Thomas Tasker Gantt (1814-1887), American politician, U.S. Attorney for Missouri, 1845-50 10
Harvey B. Gantt (b. 1943), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, 1983-87; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from North Carolina, 1996 10
Donald Gantt, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 2008 10
David F. Gantt (b. 1941), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly 133rd District, 1983-; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 10
Daniel Gantt, American politician, Justice of Nebraska State Supreme Court, 1873-78; Chief Justice of Nebraska State Supreme Court, 1878 10
Anthony Gantt, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1984 10
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html