Stith History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Stith surname is generally thought to derive from the Middle English word "stott," meaning a "steer," or "bull." 1

As such it was likely originally an occupational name for a cattleman, or perhaps a nickname. Some instances of the name in Scotland may have come from the Viking name Stoti, which likely arrived with the 9th century Norse colonization of Strathclyde and Aberdeenshire.

Early Origins of the Stith family

The surname Stith was first found in Yorkshire, but by the 15th century some of the family name had moved north to Aberdeenshire where Andrew Stott was a burgess there in 1490. Later, Margaret Stote held a family seat in Dolphinstoun in Lanarkshire in 1675, and Alexander Stote held a family seat in Maynes in Balyeordie in Renfrewshire in 1689. 2

Early History of the Stith family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Stith research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1625, 1634, 1649, 1651, 1656, 1691, 1741, 1768 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Stith History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stith Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Stot, Stott, Stite, Stites and others.

Early Notables of the Stith family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Stith (fl. 1656-1691) from Kirkham in Lancashire, emigrated to America where he became a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and the progenitor of the Stith family, one of the first familie...
He was born in Kirkham in Lancashire, England in 1625 and the Stith ancestors were likely from the Kirkham area...

Stith Ranking

In the United States, the name Stith is the 5,690^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Stith family to Ireland

Some of the Stith family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Stith migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Stith Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Stith, who arrived in Virginia in 1656 4
Geo Stith, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 4

Stith Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Stith, who landed in Virginia in 1711 4
William Stith, who landed in Virginia in 1731 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Stith (post 1700) +

William Stith (1707-1755), American historian, the 3rd President of The College of William & Mary
Laura Denvir Stith (b. 1953), American jurist, judge on the Supreme Court of Missouri (2001-)
John E. Stith (b. 1947), American science fiction and mystery author
Bryant Lamonica Stith (b. 1970), retired American professional NBA basketball player, current assistant coach at Old Dominion University
Dr. James H. Stith (b. 1941), American physicist, named one of the 50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science in 2004
Charles Richard Stith (b. 1970), American author and editor, former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania (1998-2001)
Lue Terry Stith, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988 5
Leah Stith, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1996 5
Gerald Stith, American politician, Mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana, 1858-60 5
Clark Stith, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wyoming, 2008 5
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html