| {{ad}} |
|
|
|
| Origins Available: |
| | England |
The distinguished surname Pittam emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by de la or de le, which mean of the or from the. The Pittam family originally lived in any low-lying area resembling a pit or hollows. The surname Pittam is derived from the Old English words pytt, which means pit, and mann, which means man. The surname Pittam belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
The surname Pittam was first found in Devon, but we must look to Normandy, France to find the earliest record of the name. There we found Maingot Piteman who was listed in 1198 in the Magnum Rotulum Scaccarii Normanniae... 1 Uban Piteman was listed in the Assize Rolls of Norfolk in 1203 2 and John Piteman was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Buckinghamshire. 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pittam research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pittam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Pitman, Pittman and others.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pittam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Pittam were