| ![Show Contents]() Taitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Taitt surname is generally thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "teitr," meaning "cheerful." According to the Venerable Bede, Tate was used as a nickname for Ethelberga daughter of Ethelbert, king of Kent. 1 Some sources suggest that its origins are quite distinct from the Old English roots of Tate. Early Origins of the Taitt familyThe surname Taitt was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times. One of the first records of the name was Thomas dictus Tayt in 1329 who was listed as having a debt to the king at that time. There are several recorded instances of payments to a John Tayt, clerk of the hospital of Montrose, between 1362-70. Alexander Tayt was burgess of Edinburgh in 1381. Adam Tayte had a safe conduct to travel in England in 1424. 1 Early History of the Taitt familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Taitt research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1381, 1424, 1432, 1490, 1492, 1531, 1567, 1575, 1597, 1605, 1626, 1652, 1666, 1692, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Taitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Taitt Spelling VariationsSince medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, and since there were no consistent rules for the translation of rules from Gaelic to English, spelling variations are extremely common in Boernician names of this vintage. Taitt has been spelled Tait, Tate, Tayte, Taite and others. Early Notables of the Taitt familyNotable amongst the family name during their early history was Princess Tait of Kent; Faithful Teate (c.1626-1666) Irish Protestant clergyman and poet from County Cavan, Ireland, sometimes known as Faithful Tate or Faithfull Teate; and...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Taitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Taitt family to Ireland
Some of the Taitt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Taitt familyMany of the Boernician-Scottish families who crossed the Atlantic settled along the eastern seaboard in communities that would become the backbone of the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. In the War of Independence, American families that remained loyal to the Crown moved north into Canada and became known as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestral culture of all of these proud Scottish families remains alive in North America in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Taitt or a variant listed above: Edward Tate, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630; James and Mary Tate, who came to Barbados in 1635; Thomas Tate, who settled in Virginia in 1635.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Taitt (post 1700) | + |
- Douglas John Taitt (1902-1970), American right fielder in Major League Baseball
- Lynn Taitt (1934-2010), Trinidad and Tobago reggae guitarist
- 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)
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Scotland
Ireland
England
