Contents [hide]

Willett History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Willett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The surname Willett is derived from the diminutive form of the Old English personal name "Will" or "William." 1 Thus, the name refers to a "son of Willet." One of the first records was as a forename, specifically Wil(l)ot de Foxwist in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1286. 2

Early Origins of the Willett family

The surname Willett was first found in Suffolk where Symon Wylot was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1269. A few years later, Thomas Wilet was found in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1277 and William Wyllet, Wyllot was registered in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and 1332. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one listing for the family, that of Richard Wylyot in Norfolk in 1273. 3 In Somerset, John Wilot was listed as holding lands 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 4

Early History of the Willett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Willett research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1511, 1562, 1586, 1598, 1605, 1621, 1633, 1650, 1665, 1674, 1678, 1703, 1718, 1719, 1736, 1764 and 1795 are included under the topic Early Willett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Willett Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Willet, Willett, Willhite, Willot, Willitt, Willets and many more.

Early Notables of the Willett family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Willett (1605-1674), born in Hertfordshire, was an early American merchant, Plymouth Colony trader and sea-captain, Commissioner of New Netherland, magistrate of Plymouth Colony, first Mayor of...
Ralph Willett (1719-1795), book-collector, was the elder son of Henry Willett of the island of St. Christopher, who married, about 1718, Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Colonel John Stanley of the islan...

Willett Ranking

In the United States, the name Willett is the 2,188^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 5

Willett migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Willett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Willett, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship "Lyon" 6
Ann Willett, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 6
Eleanor Willett, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1635 6
James Willett, who landed in Virginia in 1636 6
Peter Willett, who landed in Virginia in 1638 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Willett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Willett, who arrived in New York in 1803 6
Samuel Willett, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1821 6
Joshua Willett, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6

Willett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Willett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Willett, English convict who was convicted in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. William Willett, (b. 1810), aged 30, English ploughman who was convicted in Hereford, Herefordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Thomas Willett, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. Joseph Willett, (b. 1810), aged 38, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for perjury, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 1st January 1850, arriving in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, he died in 1850 aboard the ship 10
Onias Willett, who arrived in Phillip aboard the ship "Samuel Boddington" in 1850 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Willett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Willett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Charles Willett, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Willett (post 1700) +

Walter Willett MD DrPH. (b. 1945), American physician and nutrition researcher
Private First Class Louis Edward Willett (1945-1967), United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor
Lt. Kenneth Martin Willett (1919-1942), American naval reserve officer who was awarded the Navy Cross
Phyllis Willett, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for California, 1972 12
Lewis E. Willett, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1928 12
Joseph L. Willett, American politician, Mayor of Haverhill, Massachusetts, 1953 12
Jason Willett, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 2000, 2004, 2008 12
James Polk Willett, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Washington, District of Columbia, 1894-99 12
Francis Willett, American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Deputies, 1736, 1737, 1739 12
Edward S. Willett, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Albany County 1st District, 1848 12
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Willett family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Amos Alfred Sidney Willett (d. 1945), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 13

The Willett Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Dieu et mon devoir
Motto Translation: God and my work.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SAMUEL BODDINGTON 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850SamuelBoddington.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html