Flet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Flet

What does the name Flet mean?

The earliest origins of the name Flet are with the Viking settlers of the early Middle Ages; the surname having come from a place named by the Vikings It is a name for someone who lived in Flet, a place-name found in the Orkney Islands. This was probably derived from the Old Norse word flötr, which meant "stretch of arable land."

Early Origins of the Flet family

The surname Flet was first found in the Orkneys, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They derived their name from the village of Flett in the parish of Delting in the Shetland Islands. The name is mentioned in the early Viking sagas, and was one of the most prominent names mentioned in those sagas.

"The family was at one time of such importance that, if they had ever been 'of Flett' we should have evidence of it" 1

Early History of the Flet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flet research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1427, 1480, 1509, 1516, 1665 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Flet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Flet Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes most often spelled names by the way they sounded. spelling variations, are thus, very common in records dating from that time. Over the years, Flet has been spelled Flet, Flett, Fletts, Flait and others.

Early Notables of the Flet family

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

Flet migration to the United States +

The Scottish settlers spread out along the fertile land of the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. They and many of their children went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. That heritage has been recovered by many in this century through Clan societies and other Scottish historical organizations. Archival documents indicate that members of the Flet family relocated to North American shores quite early:

Flet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Adam Flet, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 2

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)