Show ContentsSuits History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the ancient Scottish name Suits are found among the people of a tribe known as the Picts. Suits is a name for a cobbler. The name is derived from the Old English word soutere, which in turn comes from the Old Norse word sutare, which means shoemaker or cobbler. [1] [2]

We include this excerpt from a 16th century play:

"Of that surname I neid nocht be aschomit

For I con mak schone, butekins and buittis:

Gif me the coppie of the king's cuittis,

And ye sail se, richt sune, quhat I can do."

Sir David Lindsay, Ane Satyre of the Thrie Esteaites, June 1552.

Roughly translated into more modern English:

"Of that surname I need not be ashamed, for I can make schone, butekins, and buittis" (boots) "give me a copy of the king's cuittis and ye shall see, right soon, what I can do."

Early Origins of the Suits family

The surname Suits was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.

The first on record was Roger Sutor who held land in Dumfries, a. 1214, and later, Kolin, son of Anegus the Souter, was present at the pleas held at Dull in Angus in 1264. Bernard called Sutor had a charter of a house in the tenement of Drumelzier, c. 1300-1320. Fynlai sutor was prepositus of Stirling, 1327, and in 1330 Symon sutor was prepositus of the burgh of Culan. [3]

Further south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 recorded John le Suter, Cambridgeshire; and William le Sutere, Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 elude to the occupational nature of the name: Johannes de Morton, souter; Johannes Schether, souter; Johannes Sowter, sutor; and Adam Souterson, souiert. [4]

Early History of the Suits family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Suits research. Another 369 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1327, 1375, 1402, 1422, 1438, 1457, 1460, 1464, 1511, 1527, 1586, 1633, 1660 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Suits History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Suits Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Suits has been spelled Souter, Suter, Sutar, Souttar, Soutar, Sutter, Shuter and many more.

Early Notables of the Suits family

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

Suits Ranking

In the United States, the name Suits is the 15,981st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]


United States Suits migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Suits:

Suits Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • H. L. B. Suits, aged 19, who settled in New York, in 1892
Suits Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mary E. Suits, aged 39, who immigrated to Medford, MA, in 1914
  • Charles Hepburn Suits, aged 51, who immigrated to Santa Monica, Calif., in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Suits (post 1700) +

  • Chauncey Guy Suits (1905-1991), American director of the General Electric (GE) Research Laboratory, and a founding member of the National Academy of Engineering
  • Julia Suits, American contributing cartoonist for The New Yorker
  • Bryan Suits, American war veteran and talk radio host, recipient of the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart
  • Rebecca Suits, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Idaho, 2008 [6]
  • Fred Suits, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1948 [6]


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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