Teat History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Teat 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 Teat family

The surname Teat 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 Teat family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Teat 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 Teat History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teat Spelling Variations

Over the years, Teat has been written It appears under these variations because medieval scribes spelled names according to sound rather than by any over-arching set of rules. Tait, Tate, Tayte, Taite and others.

Early Notables of the Teat family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Faithful Teate (c.1626-1666) Irish Protestant clergyman and poet from County Cavan, Ireland, sometimes known as Faithful Tate or Faithfull Teate

Migration of the Teat family to Ireland

Some of the Teat 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.

Teat migration to the United States +

When these Boernician-Scottish settlers arrived in North America they brought little with them and often had restart their lives from scratch. Through time, much of their heritage was lost, and it is only this century through Clan societies and highland games that many have recovered their national heritage. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Teat family to immigrate North America:

Teat Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Teat, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 2

Teat Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Teat, aged 55, who landed in New York in 1812 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Teat (post 1700) +

J. A. Teat, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1912
Jesse Teat (b. 1979), New Zealand alpine skier at the 2002 Winter Olympics

Citations +

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)
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)