Alite History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Alite

What does the name Alite mean?

This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor and may be a form of the name Eliot. 1 However, another source claims the name is from the Old French name Aalot or Allot. 2

"Aluiet, [was] a tenant in chief; and Aliet, a Saxon tenant in the Domesday Book." 3 4

Early Origins of the Alite family

The surname Alite was first found in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk where the singular name Alote was recorded c. 1191. A few years later, Adam filius Alot was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1203 in Lincolnshire. The Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire lists William Allot as holding lands there in 1275 and in Sussex, Walter Alote was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for 1296. 2

Rylands Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 includes entries for William Afotessone, Lancashire; Phillip Allote, Huntingdonshire; and Peter Allot, Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 includes two entries for the family: Adam Alot; and Richard Alot. 1

Early History of the Alite family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alite research. Another 271 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1212, 1273, 1286, 1332, 1379, 1568, 1579, 1581, 1587, 1590, 1591, 1600, 1707, 1750 and 1781 are included under the topic Early Alite History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alite Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Allott, Allett, Allette, Hallott, Arlette, Arlett, Allet, Alett, Alet, Allatt, Alatt, Allat, Allatte, Allot, Allote, Alot, Alitt, Ailet, Alyet, Alletson, Aletson, Alotessone and many more.

Early Notables of the Alite family

John Allott, Lord Mayor of London in 1591, one of the highest political posts in England at that time. William Allott (d. 1590?), was an English Catholic divine. A native of Lincolnshire, he received his education in the University of Cambridge, though he does not appear to have graduated. When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne, he retired to the continent, and took up his residence at Louvain, where he studied divinity for some years and was ordained priest. He afterwards lived for...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Alite Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Alite family

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Alite or a variant listed above: Peter Allott who settled in Virginia in 1655; Andrew Hallet settled in Virginia in 1620; about the time of the "Mayflower," followed by Andrew Hallett in Massachusetts in 1635.

Sources +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)