Show ContentsKittredge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The English family name Kittredge comes from the Middle English personal name "Keterych."

Early Origins of the Kittredge family

The surname Kittredge was first found in Essex, where the first on record were Adam and Roger Keterych, both listed in the Feet of Fines for Essex.

Early History of the Kittredge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kittredge research. The years 1524 and 1593 are included under the topic Early Kittredge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kittredge Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Kittredge include Kittredge, Kittridge, Kitteridge, Kettredge, Ketteridge and many more.

Early Notables of the Kittredge family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • a member of the Kittredge family, granted arms in 1593

Kittredge Ranking

In the United States, the name Kittredge is the 11,512nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Kittredge family to Ireland

Some of the Kittredge family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Kittredge migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Kittredge or a variant listed above:

Kittredge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Dr. John Kittredge (b. 1620), who arrived in America in 1660
  • John Kittredge, who landed in New England in 1676 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Kittredge (post 1700) +

  • William Kittredge (1932-2020), American writer from Oregon
  • Michael Kittredge (1952-2019), American home decor executive and philanthropist, founder of Yankee Candle
  • George Lyman Kittredge (1860-1941), American scholar, faculty member at Harvard (1888-1936)
  • William A. Kittredge (1891-1945), American designer and author on design in Chicago
  • William Cullen Kittredge (1800-1869), American lawyer and politician, 16th Lieutenant Governor or Vermont (1852 to 1853)
  • Mabel Hyde Kittredge (1867-1955), American home economist and social worker, born in Boston, Massachusetts, best known as a crusader for school-lunches
  • Elsie May Kittredge (1870-1954), American botanist, photographer, and curator for the New York Botanical Gardens
  • Abbott Eliot "A.E." Kittredge (1834-1912), American leader of the Presbyterian Church, born in Roxbury, Massachusetts
  • Walter Kittredge (1834-1905), American Civil War musician and songwriter, best known for his song Tenting on the Old Camp Ground
  • George Washington Kittredge (1805-1881), American politician, U.S. Representative from New Hampshire 1st District (1853-1855)
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook