Sooter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
An ancient Scottish people known as the Picts were the forefathers of the Sooter family. Sooter is a name for a cobbler. The name is derived from the Old English word soutere, which in turn comes from the Old Norse word sutare, which means shoemaker or cobbler. 1 2
We include this excerpt from a 16th century play:
"Of that surname I neid nocht be aschomit
For I con mak schone, butekins and buittis:
Gif me the coppie of the king's cuittis,
And ye sail se, richt sune, quhat I can do."
Sir David Lindsay, Ane Satyre of the Thrie Esteaites, June 1552.
Roughly translated into more modern English:
"Of that surname I need not be ashamed, for I can make schone, butekins, and buittis" (boots) "give me a copy of the king's cuittis and ye shall see, right soon, what I can do."
Early Origins of the Sooter family
The surname Sooter was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.
The first on record was Roger Sutor who held land in Dumfries, a. 1214, and later, Kolin, son of Anegus the Souter, was present at the pleas held at Dull in Angus in 1264. Bernard called Sutor had a charter of a house in the tenement of Drumelzier, c. 1300-1320. Fynlai sutor was prepositus of Stirling, 1327, and in 1330 Symon sutor was prepositus of the burgh of Culan. 3
Further south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 recorded John le Suter, Cambridgeshire; and William le Sutere, Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 elude to the occupational nature of the name: Johannes de Morton, souter; Johannes Schether, souter; Johannes Sowter, sutor; and Adam Souterson, souiert. 4
Early History of the Sooter family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sooter research. Another 369 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1327, 1375, 1402, 1422, 1438, 1457, 1460, 1464, 1511, 1527, 1586, 1633, 1660 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Sooter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sooter Spelling Variations
During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Sooter include Souter, Suter, Sutar, Souttar, Soutar, Sutter, Shuter and many more.
Early Notables of the Sooter family
More information is included under the topic Early Sooter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Sooter migration to the United States +
Scots left their country by the thousands to travel to Australia and North America. Desperate for freedom and an opportunity to fend for themselves, many paid huge fees and suffered under terrible conditions on long voyages. Still, for those who made the trip, freedom and opportunity awaited. In North America, many fought their old English oppressors in the American War of Independence. In recent years, Scottish heritage has been an increasingly important topic, as Clan societies and other organizations have renewed people's interest in their history. An examination of passenger and immigration lists shows many early settlers bearing the name of Sooter:
Sooter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Sooter, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 5
Sooter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Christian Sooter, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 5
Sooter migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Sooter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Peter Sooter, (Sutor), (b. 1799), aged 23, English farm labourer who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1837 6
Contemporary Notables of the name Sooter (post 1700) +
- Shane Sooter, American director and producer, known for God for the Rest of Us (2015), The Perfect Stranger (2005) and Another Perfect Stranger (2007)
- Meredith Frances Sooter (b. 1983), née, Andrews, American Christian music artist, songwriter, and worship leader
- Roby Cecil "Rudy" Sooter (1905-1991), Canadian actor, known for his work in Gunsmoke (1960-1968) and Bonanza (1961-1967)
Historic Events for the Sooter family +
USS Arizona
- Mr. James Fredrick Sooter, American Radioman Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 7
Citations +
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
- Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html