Rhett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Rhett surname is an Americanized form of the Dutch de Raedt, which comes from the Middle Dutch word "raet," which means "advice."
Early Origins of the Rhett family
The surname Rhett was first found in East Flanders, a province in present day Belgium, bordering on the Netherlands.
Early History of the Rhett family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rhett research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1416, 1666, 1696, 1722, 1753, 1814, 1825 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Rhett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Rhett Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Raet, Raete, Raetes, Raett, Raetts, Raette, Raets, Raetz, de Raet, van Raet, van der Raet and many more.
Early Notables of the Rhett family
From this era of Dutch history, those of this who distinguished themselves included
- Colonel William Rhett (1666-1722), a British-born plantation owner in the Province of Carolina
Rhett migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Rhett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- George Rhett, who landed in Carolina in 1671 1
Rhett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- William Rhett, who arrived in South Carolina in 1719 1
Contemporary Notables of the name Rhett (post 1700) +
- Robert Rhett (1800-1876), American secessionist politician from South Carolina (1861-1862), U.S. Senator from South Carolina (1850-1852), Attorney General of South Carolina (1832-1837)
- Errict Rhett (b. 1970), American professional NFL football player
- Cecily Rhett, American film editor
- Alicia Rhett (1915-2014), American portrait painter and actress, best known for her role as India Wilkes in Gone with the Wind
- Burnet Rhett Maybank III (b. 1955), American lawyer, author, and former director of the South Carolina Department of Revenue
- Burnet Rhett Maybank (1899-1954), American politician, United States Senator from South Carolina (1941-1954), 99th Governor of South Carolina (1939-1941)
- Burnet Rhett Maybank Jr. (1924-2016), American lawyer and politician, 78th Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (1959-1963)
- Brigadier-General Barnwell Rhett Legge (1891-1949), American Instructor at Command & General Staff School (1936-1939) 2
- Rhett Allain, American physicist and associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University
- Rhett Matthew Bomar (b. 1985), American NFL football quarterback
Citations +
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Barnwell Legge. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Legge/Barnwell_Rhett/USA.html