Kait History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Kait came from the name Christopher, where Kitt is a pet form. The name Kait is a diminutive, which is an expression relating to smallness in size or endearment, of the name. The most common diminutive suffixes are ot, et, un, in, el. Double diminutives are also formed from these suffixes, such as Hamelin, Roblett, Adnett, or Turkentine. Names ending in cock and kin became used more frequently in the mid-13th century and in the 14th century, they became extremely common.

Early Origins of the Kait family

The surname Kait was first found in Middlesex, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Kait family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kait research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1173, 1273, 1327, 1377, 1621 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Kait History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kait Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Kait family name include Kitt, Kit, Kitts, Kitte, Kyt, Kytte and others.

Early Notables of the Kait family

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

Migration of the Kait family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Kait surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Kitts who sailed to Virginia in 1717; Michael Kitts to Pennsylvania in 1773; Henry Kitts to Philadelphia in 1844 and Peter Kitt to Philadelphia in 1859..

Contemporary Notables of the name Kait (post 1700) +

Kait Kerrigan, American playwright and musical theater lyricist