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| Origins Available: |
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The ancestors of the name Charity date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Charity family lived in or near to the charity, which was either a dispensary of charity or a hospital that was connected to the church. The surname has Latin origins in the form of Caritatem, which means kindness, generosity and humanity.
The surname Charity was first found in Yorkshire where the Close Rolls, 3 Edward I (during the third year of King Edward I's reign) listed: William de la Charity and J. John Charite. Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Ricardus Charyte; Willelmus Charite; and Thomas Charite. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Charity research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1148, 1185, 1195, 1203, 1379, 1422, 1436, 1500, 1502, 1612 and 1642 are included under the topic Early Charity History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Charity are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Charity include: Charity, Caritet, Carite, Charite, Charyte, Charitie and many more.
Notables of the family at this time include William Charite (1422-1502), the Prior of St. Mary's Abbey in Leicestershire. He was a monkish writer who compiled a register of St. Mary's Abbey, Leicester. "The register ('Rentale Novum Generale Mon. B. M. de Pratis Leycestrie') contains the rent-roll of the abbey...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Charity Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Charity is the 12,252nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Charity or a variant listed above: