Catts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

The name Catts comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a person who has a fancied resemblance to a cat. The name stems from the Old Northern French cat, of the same meaning, which occurs in many languages in the same form from a very early period.

Early Origins of the Catts family

The surname Catts was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Catts family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Catts research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Catts History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Catts Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Catt, Cat, Catts, Ketts, Chatt, Chat and others.

Early Notables of the Catts family

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

Catts migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Catts or a variant listed above were:

Catts Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Catts, who arrived in Virginia in 1635
Jo Catts, aged 23, who landed in Virginia in 1635 1
Mr. John Catts, (b. 1612), aged 23, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Safety" arriving in Virginia in 1635 2
Susanna Catts, who arrived in Virginia in 1662

Catts Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Catts, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1738
Cathrine Catts, who settled in New Jersey in 1786

Catts migration to Australia +

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

Catts Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Isaac Catts, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
William J. Catts, aged 55, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Magdalena" 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Catts (post 1700) +

Sidney Johnston Catts Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 1936, 1940 5
Sidney Johnston Catts (1863-1936), American Democratic Party politician, Governor of Florida, 1917-21 5
John Catts, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Dover, Delaware, 1829-35 5
George E. Catts, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1908, 1916, 1920, 1928 5

Citations +

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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
South Australian Register Friday 26th August 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Magdalena 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/magdalena1853.shtml
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html