Wits History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

Early Origins of the Wits family

The surname Wits was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Domesday Book of 1086 has entries for Alwin Albus, otherwise Wit and the name is also spelt Uuit and Uite. 1 2 3

The name is thought to have been an "Anglo-Saxon personal name Wit(t)a-Wise Man, Councillor [Old English wita, sage, &c.] Witta was an early descendant of Woden and ancestor of the Kentish kings." 4 Witta is believed to have been a medieval Bishop of Lichfield. He was consecrated in 737 and died between 749 and 757.

Early History of the Wits family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wits research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1364 and 1778 are included under the topic Early Wits History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wits Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wytt, Witt, Witts, Wyght, Wythe, Wicht and others.

Early Notables of the Wits family

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

Wits migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wits Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Susan Wits, who arrived in America in 1654-1679 5

Citations +

Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)