Show ContentsAllott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Allott

What does the name Allott 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 Allott family

The surname Allott 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 Allott family

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

Allott Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled 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 Allott 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 E...
  • Robert Allott (fl. 1600), was editor of a famous miscellany of Elizabethan poetry, entitled 'England's Parnassus; or the choycest Flowers of our Modern Poets, with their Poeticall comparisons, Descrip...


To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Allott or a variant listed above:

Allott Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Peter Allott who settled in Virginia in 1655

Contemporary Notables of the name Allott (post 1700) +

  • Professor Antony Allott (1924-2002), English academic, Professor of African Law at the University of London
  • Eric Allott, Chemical Pathologist
  • Air Commodore Molly Allott, director of the WRAF (1973-76)

HMS Hood
  • Mr. George Allott (b. 1917), English Marine serving for the Royal Marine from Staincross, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 5


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm


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