Merrit Surname HistoryThe name Merrit arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Merrit family lived in Leicestershire. Their name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Marriot in Normandy. While many of the family settled in England, some stayed behind in Normandy as shown by Richard Mareta who was listed there (1180-1195.) 1 Early Origins of the Merrit familyThe surname Merrit was first found in Somerset at Merriott, a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of Crewkerne. 2 This parish was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Meriet 3 and possibly meant "boundary gate," from the Old English words "maere" + "geat." 4 Some of the first listings of the name include: Alric filius Meriet; and Aelric Meriete in 1066 and Aegel filius Mergeati c. 1086. Symon Meriet was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1202. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: John de Meriet in Lincolnshire; and Simon de Meriet in Somerset. 6 Early History of the Merrit familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Merrit research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1657, 1679, 1695, 1698, 1708 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Merrit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Merrit Spelling VariationsAnglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Marriott, Mariott, Marriot, Marritt, Marrot, Marrotte, Mariatt, Maryet, Maryott, Marryatt, Mariate, Merritt, Merriott and many more. Early Notables of the Merrit familyMore information is included under the topic Early Merrit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Merrit family to IrelandSome of the Merrit family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Merrit name or one of its variants: Merrit Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Merrit Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Merrit Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Merrit Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Merrit Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
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