Show ContentsIvatts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ivatts family

The surname Ivatts was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. The family is believed to descended from an unknown noble settler Yvette from Seine Inf of Yvtot who followed in the wake of the victors at the Battle of Hastings and was granted lands in that shire.

Early History of the Ivatts family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ivatts research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1173, 1270, 1300 and 1329 are included under the topic Early Ivatts History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ivatts Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Yvett, Ivett, Ivatt, Ivet, Ivat and others.

Early Notables of the Ivatts family

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


United States Ivatts migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Ivatts or a variant listed above:

Ivatts Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Cedric Percy Ivatts, aged 50, arrived in New York in 1916 aboard the ship "Baltic" from Liverpool, England 2

Canada Ivatts migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ivatts Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Ivatts, who was on record in Toronto in the census of Ontario in 1871


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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