Skeat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Skeat family

The surname Skeat was first found in Norfolk where the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Scet and Schett. 1 One of the first records of the name was Ricardus filius Schet who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1166 in Norfolk. A few years later the Pipe Rolls of 1201 lists Walter Sket in Shropshire. 2 One reference claims the name traces its origin to an Old Norse byname Skjotr which literally meant "swift." 3 Another reference claims that it was a baptismal name as "the son of Sket." 4 Yet another reference claims that it is French in origin and is a variant of Keat or Keats. 5 We disagree with this latter reference. Whatever the origin, the name was concentrated in Norfolk in the early years "found frequently as Sket in Norfolk and neighbouring county of Suffolk in the Hundred Rolls." 4 Listings in the Hundred Rolls of 1273 include: Sketh [no personal name] in Norfolk; Alan Sket and Nicholas Sket in Suffolk; and John Sket in Norfolk.

Early History of the Skeat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Skeat research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1201, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Skeat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Skeat Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Skeat, Skeath, Skate, Skeet, Skeets, Skayte and many more.

Early Notables of the Skeat family

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

Migration of the Skeat family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Ann and Katherine Skeate settled in Virginia in 1653.

Contemporary Notables of the name Skeat (post 1700) +

Bill Skeat (1926-1999), English saxophone player
Len Skeat (1937-2021), English jazz double-bassist and younger brother of Bill Skeat
Francis Walter Skeat (1909-2000), English glass painter who created over 400 stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters
Walter William Skeat (1866-1953), English anthropologist, son of Walter Skeat
Walter William Skeat FBA (1835-1912), English philologist, best known for his work Etymological English Dictionary (4 parts, 1879-1882; rev., and enlarged, 1910) and as an authority on Geoffrey Chaucer
Bob Skeat, English bass guitarist, best known for his work with rock band Wishbone Ash
Theodore Cressy Skeat (1907-2003), British librarian at the British Museum

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)