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Suter History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Suter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
England

The descendants of the clans of the ancient Scottish tribe known as the Picts were the first to use the name Suter. It was a name for a cobbler. The name is derived from the Old English word soutere, which in turn comes from the Old Norse word sutare, which means shoemaker or cobbler. 1 2

We include this excerpt from a 16th century play:

"Of that surname I neid nocht be aschomit

For I con mak schone, butekins and buittis:

Gif me the coppie of the king's cuittis,

And ye sail se, richt sune, quhat I can do."

Sir David Lindsay, Ane Satyre of the Thrie Esteaites, June 1552.

Roughly translated into more modern English:

"Of that surname I need not be ashamed, for I can make schone, butekins, and buittis" (boots) "give me a copy of the king's cuittis and ye shall see, right soon, what I can do."

Early Origins of the Suter family

The surname Suter was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.

The first on record was Roger Sutor who held land in Dumfries, a. 1214, and later, Kolin, son of Anegus the Souter, was present at the pleas held at Dull in Angus in 1264. Bernard called Sutor had a charter of a house in the tenement of Drumelzier, c. 1300-1320. Fynlai sutor was prepositus of Stirling, 1327, and in 1330 Symon sutor was prepositus of the burgh of Culan. 3

Further south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 recorded John le Suter, Cambridgeshire; and William le Sutere, Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 elude to the occupational nature of the name: Johannes de Morton, souter; Johannes Schether, souter; Johannes Sowter, sutor; and Adam Souterson, souiert. 4

Early History of the Suter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Suter research. Another 369 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1327, 1375, 1402, 1422, 1438, 1457, 1460, 1464, 1511, 1527, 1586, 1633, 1660 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Suter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Suter Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Suter has been spelled Souter, Suter, Sutar, Souttar, Soutar, Sutter, Shuter and many more.

Early Notables of the Suter family

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

Suter Ranking

In the United States, the name Suter is the 8,521^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Suter migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Suter:

Suter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Simon Suter, who arrived in Virginia in 1698 6

Suter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Verena Suter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
Hans Suter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
Hans Jacob Suter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
Heinrich Suter, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 6
John Suter, who landed in Maryland in 1747 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Suter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Suter, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 6
James Suter, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 6
Yost Suter, who arrived in Ohio in 1884 6

Suter migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Suter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Ellen Suter, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "John Renwick" in 1837 7
Emma Suter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Eden" in 1838 8
Sarah Suter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 9
Homas Suter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Buckinghamshire" in 1839 9
Edward Suter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1839 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Suter (post 1700) +

Ryan Suter (b. 1985), American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League
Robert M Suter Ph.D., American Professor of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University
William K Suter (b. 1937), American jurist, 19th Clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States (1991-2013)
June Suter, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1956, 1960 (alternate), 1964 (alternate) 11
J. W. Suter, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Clark County Democratic Party, 1949 11
H. Clay Suter, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maryland, 1912 11
A. E. Suter, American politician, Village President of Libertyville, Illinois, 1935-42 11
Juliana Suter (b. 1998), Swiss gold and silver medalist alpine skier
Martin Suter (b. 1948), Swiss author, known for his weekly column Business Class in the Weltwoche newspaper (1992–2004)
Keith Douglas Suter AM (b. 1948), Australian consultant on strategic planning and a futurist
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN RENWICK 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837JohnRenwick.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EDEN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Eden.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BUCKINGHAMSHIRE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Buckinghamshire.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PRINCE REGENT 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839PrinceRegent.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html