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Belt History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Belt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient name of Belt finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a beltmaker.

Early Origins of the Belt family

The surname Belt was first found in Essex, where Arnold and Robert Belt(e) were first listed in the Feet of Fines in 1203. Years later, Benedict le beleter was listed in the Freemans Rolls of Yorkshire in 1295. 1

Early History of the Belt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Belt research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Belt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Belt 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 Belt family name include Belt, Beltie, Belts and others.

Early Notables of the Belt family

Distinguished members of the family include

James Belt of Overton

Belt Ranking

In the United States, the name Belt is the 3,340^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 2

Belt migration to the United States +

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 Belt surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Belt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Belt in Virginia in 1635
Humfrey Belt, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 3
William Belt, aged 21, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 3
Mr. William Belt, (b. 1614), aged 21, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Constance" arriving in Virginia in 1635 4
Mr. Humfrey Belt, aged 20, from England who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "America" arriving in June 1635 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Belt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

U H Belt, who landed in San Francisco California in 1850 3

Belt migration to New Zealand +

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:

Belt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. J.A. Belt, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Susan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1849 6
Mrs. J. Belt, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Susan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1849 6
Mr. H. Belt, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Susan" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1849 6

Belt migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Belt Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Isaac Belt, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Mr. Isack Belt, (b. 1612), aged 23, British settler traveling aboard the ship "William and John" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 8
Elias Belt who settled in Barbados in 1671

Contemporary Notables of the name Belt (post 1700) +

Dustin Earl Belt (b. 1987), American guitarist, music producer and actor, founding member of the indie pop duo, Heffron Drive
Brandon Kyle Belt (b. 1988), American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder, nicknamed "Baby Giraffe" and "Sparky"
Philip Ralph Belt (1927-2015), American pioneering builder of pianos in historical style, particularly fortepianos
George Gordon Belt (1828-1869), American soldier, businessman, judge, Confederate sympathizer
Elmer Belt (1893-1980), American urologist, surgeon and pioneer in sex reassignment surgery
Clarence W. Belt (1890-1969), American racecar driver
Ronald M. Belt, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1964; Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Macon County; Elected 1964
Richard Belt (b. 1844), American politician, U.S. Consul in Matamoros, 1844, died in office 1844
John A. Belt, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Gaithersburg, Maryland, 1885-90, 1893-97
Harry H. Belt (1883-1950), American Republican politician, Lawyer; Circuit Judge in Oregon, 1914-24; Justice of Oregon State Supreme Court, 1925-50; Died in office 1950. Presbyterian or Congregationalist
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Belt family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Everett Ray Belt Jr., American Private First Class from Missouri, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 9

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved October 5th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html