Leete History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Leete family

The surname Leete was first found in Cambridge where there is some dispute over the origin on the name. One reference claims the name is a location name meaning "a meeting of crossroads" as in "court-leet and borough-leet," 1 while another claims the name was a baptismal name "the son of Lettice" (Latin laetitia, gladness) from the nickname Lete. Lettice was a very popular girl's name in its day but was rare by the late 1800s. 2 Regardless of the origin, the first records of the name were in Cambridge where Letia (no surname) was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. The same rolls list Nicolas filius Lete in Bedfordshire; Walter Lete in Suffolk and Roge Lete in Oxfordshire. 2

Early History of the Leete family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leete research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1612, 1661, 1665, 1676 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Leete History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leete Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Leete include Leete, Leeth, Leety, Lety and others.

Early Notables of the Leete family

Distinguished members of the family include

William Leete (ca...

Leete migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled 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 ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Leete or a variant listed above:

Leete Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Leete, who arrived in New Haven, Connecticut in 1639 3
Humphrey Leete, who arrived in Maryland in 1670 3
Samuel Leete, aged 39, who arrived in New York in 1677 3

Leete Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Leete, aged 36, who landed in New York in 1812 3

Leete migration to Australia +

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

Leete Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Leete, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Gipsy Queen" in 1850 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Leete (post 1700) +

Bernard More Troughton Shute Leete OBE AFC (1898-1978), English aviator and aviation pioneer, he made the first flight from England to India in a light aircraft
William Leete (1661-1665), English Governor of the Colony of New Haven
Alfred Leete (1882-1933), British illustrator

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GIPSY QUEEN 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850GipsyQueen.htm