Bat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The name Bat is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived as the nickname ‘the bat’ or as a petname of Bartholomew. "We have also to take into account the byname of a Winchester monk: Ælfricus qui Bata cognominabatur (c. 1051 Old English Bynames). This has given rise to various conjectures, none wholly satisfactory." 1

Bardsley feels the name is "derived from the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Bartholomew,' from the nickname Bate or Bat; v. Batson, Bate, and Batty, " 2 and Smith similarly agrees the name denotes "the son of Bate, a pet form of Bartholomew (son of Talmai, furrow); one of stout, heavy appearance." 3

Early Origins of the Bat family

The surname Bat was first found in Shropshire where William Bat was listed in 1170-1187. Herbert Bat was similarly listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1182. 1 Another early record was Gerrard Bat who was Lord Mayor of London in 1240.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Gilbert Batte, Rutland; Reginald le Bat, Essex; and Matilda Battes, Cambridgeshire 2 while in Somerset, Clarice Batte was recorded there 1 Edward III (during the reign of King Edward III.) 4

Early History of the Bat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bat research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1273, 1323, 1620, 1631, 1642, 1651, 1655 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Bat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bat Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Bat are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Bat include: Batt, Batte, Bat, Batts, Baat and others.

Early Notables of the Bat family

Distinguished members of the family include

Anthony Batt (d. 1651), a Benedictine monk who resided for some years in the English monastery of his order at Dieulwart, in Lorraine. 5
M. Batt was a bookseller in London, 1642. His name occurs on several political pamphlets such as the following: True and exact relation of the Proceedings of His Majesty's Army in Cheshire, Shropshire...
Nathaniel Batts (1620-1679) was an English fur trader who became the first recorded European to permanently settle in North Carolina in 1655, eponym of Batts Island

Migration of the Bat family to Ireland

Some of the Bat family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bat migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Bat or a variant listed above:

Bat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Josef R Bat, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1826 6

Citations +

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)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)