Flight History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The roots of the Flight surname reach back to the language of the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The Flight surname comes from someone having lived in Flet, a place-name found in the Orkney Islands. This was probably derived from the Old Norse word flötr, which meant "stretch of arable land."
Early Origins of the Flight family
The surname Flight was first found in the Orkneys, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They derived their name from the village of Flett in the parish of Delting in the Shetland Islands. The name is mentioned in the early Viking sagas, and was one of the most prominent names mentioned in those sagas.
"The family was at one time of such importance that, if they had ever been 'of Flett' we should have evidence of it" 1
Early History of the Flight family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flight research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1427, 1480, 1509, 1516, 1665 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Flight History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flight Spelling Variations
Few standards of spelling and translation existed in the Middle Ages. spelling variations, are thus, an extremely common occurrence in records of ancient Scottish names. Over the years, Flight has been spelled Flet, Flett, Fletts, Flait and others.
Early Notables of the Flight family
Notable amongst the Clan from early times was
- Benjamin Flight, the eminent organ builder, born about 1767, was the son of Benjamin Flight, who carried on, in partnership with John Kelly, under the style of 'Flight and Kelly,' the business of orga...
Flight Ranking
In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Flight is the 507th most popular surname with an estimated 92 people with that name. 2
Flight migration to Canada +
Land and opportunity greeted all those who made it across the Atlantic. These settlers and their children went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Clan societies and other Scottish organizations have preserved much of this heritage for the ancestors of those brave Scots. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Flight to North America:
Flight Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Sarah Flight, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Flight 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:
Flight Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Josiah Flight, who landed in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1840
- Mr. Josiah Flight, (b. 1800), aged 41, English gentleman, born in Devon travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 3
- Mrs. Sarah Ann Flight, (b. 1795), aged 46, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 3
- Miss Ann Flight, (b. 1840), aged 2, English settler born in Dorset travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Timandra" arriving in New Plymouth, Taranaki, North Island, New Zealand on 24th February 1842 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Flight (post 1700) +
- Samuel A. Flight, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hamden, 1910, 1912 4
Citations +
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html