Sites History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Sites comes from when the family resided in the county of Cumberland. Sites is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the area or landscape were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sites were named due to their close proximity to a marshy stream or damp gully. The surname was originally derived from Sikes-Dyke near Carlisle in Cumberland.

Early Origins of the Sites family

The surname Sites was first found in Cumberland at Sikes-Dyke. Another branch of the family was found in the parish of Sledmere in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

"Sledmere House, a spacious mansion of stone, the seat of Sir Tatton Sykes, Bart., is seated near the foot of an acclivity, in a beautiful and finely-wooded park, south of the village; it was built by Sir Christopher, the second Baronet, from his own designs, and was improved and enriched by his son, the late Sir Mark Masterman Sykes, brother of the present Baronet. Sledmere Castle, on the east side of the park, is a modern edifice. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Sir Tatton. The church, which stands within the park, is a neat fabric, consisting of a nave, chancel, and square tower, and containing some handsome monuments to the Sykes family." 1

Again in the East Riding of Yorkshire, we found another record of the family at Wintringham. "The farm of Linton, the property of Sir Tatton Sykes, was the site of a monastic cell subordinate to the abbey of Scarborough." 1

Early History of the Sites family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sites research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1684, 1713, 1714 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Sites History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sites Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Sites has been recorded under many different variations, including Sikes, Sykes, Sykkes, Sikkes, Syks, Siks, Sike and many more.

Early Notables of the Sites family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Arthur Ashley Sykes (1684-1756), an English latitudinarian divine, born in London, son of Arthur Sykes of Ardeley, near Stevenage, Hertfordshire. " On 7 Feb...
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sites Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sites Ranking

In the United States, the name Sites is the 5,646^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Sites migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Sites or a variant listed above:

Sites Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Sites, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 3
Law Sites, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1755 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Sites (post 1700) +

Brian Sites (b. 1983), American actor
Kevin Sites, American author and freelance journalist
Frank Crawford Sites (1864-1935), Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives
James Neil Sites (b. 1924), American novelist
Robert J. Sites, American Republican politician, Chair of Pendleton County Republican Party, 1961 4
Jacob Sites, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Berkeley County, 1903-04 4
Frank Crawford Sites (1864-1935), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 19th District, 1923-25; Defeated, 1924, 1926; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1924 4
Mrs. Chris Sites, American Republican politician, Chair of Monroe County Republican Party, 1983 4

The Sites Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sapiens qui assiduus
Motto Translation: He is wise who is industrious.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html