Show ContentsVitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The western coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancient home of the Vitt family. Their name is derived from the names Wattie and Watty, both of which are pet forms of the personal name Walter. The Gaelic form of the name is Mac Bhaididh, which translates as son of Wattie or son of Watty.

Early Origins of the Vitt family

The surname Vitt was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Scotland to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Vitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vitt research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1620 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Vitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vitt Spelling Variations

Spelling variations were extremely common in medieval names, since scribes from that era recorded names according to sound rather than a standard set of rules. Vitt has appeared in various documents spelled MacWatt, MacWattie, MacWatters, MacQuattie, MacVatt and many more.

Early Notables of the Vitt family

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

Ireland Migration of the Vitt family to Ireland

Some of the Vitt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 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 Vitt family

The descendants of the Dalriadan families who made the great crossing of the Atlantic still dot communities along the east coast of the United States and Canada. In the American War of Independence, many of the settlers traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. Clan societies and highland games have allowed Canadian and American families of Scottish descent to recover much of their lost heritage. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Vitt or a variant listed above include: George McWatters settled in Philadelphia in 1847; B. McWattey settled in San Francisco in 1752; John and Jane McWhatey settled in New York State in 1811.


Contemporary Notables of the name Vitt (post 1700) +

  • Max Vitt, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartford, 1896 1
  • Alfred A. Vitt, American politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Franklin County, 1907-08 1


  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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