Show ContentsCooitter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Although Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames, the Strongbownians brought many of their own naming traditions to the island. There were, however, similarities between the two systems. The Strongbownians, like the Irish, frequently used patronymic surnames, a form of surname that was built from the name of the initial bearer's father, or another older relative. Norman patronymic names, because they were originally formed in French, were often created by the addition of a diminutive suffix to the given name, such as -ot, -et, -un, -in, or -el. Occasionally, two suffixes were combined to form a double diminutive, as in the combinations of -el-in, -el-ot, -in-ot, and -et-in. These Stronbownians also created patronymic names by the prefix Fitz-, which was derived from the French word fils, and ultimately from the Latin filius, which both mean son. This prefix probably originated in Flanders or Normandy, it has disappeared from France entirely but remains common in Ireland even today. The Strongbownian surname of Cooitter is derived from the popular Norse personal name Oitir. The Gaelic forms of the surname Cooitter are Mac Coitir and Mac Oitir.

Early Origins of the Cooitter family

The surname Cooitter was first found in Oxfordshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Cooitter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cooitter research. Another 168 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1630, 1689, 1705, 1720, 1754, 1763, 1831 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Cooitter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooitter Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelled the names as they sounded, so a name was often spelled many different ways during the lifetime of a single person. The investigation of the origin of the name Cooitter revealed many spelling variations including Cotter, Cotters, Cottar, Cottare, Cotteres, Cottares, Coitter and many more.

Early Notables of the Cooitter family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Sir James Fitz Edmond Cotter (c.1630-1705) Irish soldier, colonial governor and the commander-in-chief of King James's forces, in the Irish Counties of Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Kerry...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cooitter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cooitter family

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Cooitter: James Cotter who settled in Bay De Verde, Newfoundland, in 1783; John Cotter settled in Boston in 1764 with his wife Elizabeth; Edward Cotter settled in New York, with his wife and four children in 1823.



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