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| Origins Available: |
| | Scotland |
When Profit was first used as a surname among the ancient Scottish people, it was a name for a person who played the part of a prophet in a medieval pageant. However, another source claims "this name owes its origin to an ancestor who had enacted such a part in mediaeval pageant. and the suggestion is not unlikely." 1
The surname Profit was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland.
One of the first records of the family was William Propheta who was charter witness in Aberdeen in 1281. Later, John Profite was admitted burgess of the same burgh in 1440. A few years later, Thom Propheit appears as "mair of the quarter of Brechin" and sheriff-depute of Forfar in 1473. 1
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Profit research. Another 31 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1450, 1467, 1470 and 1552 are included under the topic Early Profit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Profit has been spelled Proffit, Profat, Profet, Profett, Profit, Prophat, Prophet and many more.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Profit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Profit is the 9,647th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2
This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Profit: