Benit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

A people of the Scottish/English Borderlands known as the Strathclyde Britons were the first to use the name Benit. It is derived from the ancient Latin given name Benedictus, which means blessed.

Early Origins of the Benit family

The surname Benit was first found in Perthshire where "Benedictus, son of Walter de Sancto Edmundo, witnessed a charter of sale of land in Perth, 1219. Benedict the dean (decanus) witnessed the gift of the mill of Wystoun to the Hospital of Soltre in 1249. The fame of Saint Benedict (480-543) the patriarch of the Western monks made the name popular. " 1

Early History of the Benit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Benit research. Another 235 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1200, 1249, 1250, 1300, 1402, 1459, 1527, 1563, 1588, 1594, 1603, 1604, 1652, 1743, 1793, 1795, 1797, 1822, 1836, 1872, 1883 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Benit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benit Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Benit has been spelled Bennett, Bennet, Benett, Benet and others.

Early Notables of the Benit family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Thomas Bennett, Sheriff of London in 1594, and Lord Mayor (1603-1604); when he was knighted, he purchased the manor of Beachampton in Berkshire; W. Benett, who was the Mayor of Chester in...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Benit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Benit family to Ireland

Some of the Benit family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 125 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Benit migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Benit Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Benit, aged 30, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1836 2
Cayetairo Benit, aged 26, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1838 2

Citations +

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)