Laite History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Laite name began with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the baptismal name Lettice, a popular girls name in medieval times. This personal name was originally derived from the Latin laetitia, which means gladness and joy. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Laite family

The surname Laite was first found in Gloucestershire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Lett, before the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086.

Early History of the Laite family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laite research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1864, 1956, 1963, 1972 and 1981 are included under the topic Early Laite History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laite Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Laite family name include Lett, Layt, Laite, Layte, Let, Lete, Latt, Leyt, Letts, Lettson and many more.

Early Notables of the Laite family

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

Laite Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Laite is the 776^th most popular surname with an estimated 54 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Laite family to Ireland

Some of the Laite family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Laite family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Laite surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John, Leonard and Thomas Lett, who settled in Virginia in 1651; Elizabeth may have been a wife or child of one of the foregoing; Thomas Lett arrived in Barbados in 1635.

Citations +

The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)