Bassant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Bassant

What does the name Bassant mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Bassant comes from when its first bearer worked as a coiner or minter. The name is derived from a coin called the byzantius, whose name is derived from the city of Byzantium, where they were minted. The word is derived from the "Middle English besant, besand, the Old French besan, pluralized as besanz, which in turn was derived from the Latin byzantius (nummus), meaning a gold coin." 1

"A bisaunt, bezant, or bizantine was an old coin both in gold and silver, and so called from having been minted at Byzantium. The silver bezant passed current for as. or thereabouts." 2

Early Origins of the Bassant family

The surname Bassant was first found in London, England where Leftwin Besant was recorded 1147-1168. He was listed as a "moneyer" in the Pipe Rolls of 1168. Later, Robert Besant was listed in Clerkenwell, London in 1186-1192 and the Pipe Rolls of 1195. 1

Early History of the Bassant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bassant research. Another 116 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1168, 1194, 1748, 1752, 1776, 1800, 1828, 1836, 1870, 1879, 1901 and 1917 are included under the topic Early Bassant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bassant 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 Bassant include Besant, Besaynt, Bezant, Bessant, Besand, Beasant, Bessent, Beazant, Bayzand, Beszant, Bassant, Bassent and many more.

Early Notables of the Bassant family

Robert Besant, Sheriff of London in 1194. 2 Sir Walter Besant (1836-1901), was a distinguished English novelist and historian. He was the son of wine merchant William Besant (1800-1879) and was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire. William Henry Besant (1828-1917) was his...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bassant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bassant 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 Bassant or a variant listed above:

Bassant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Bassant, who arrived in Virginia in 1679 3

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)