Bettis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Bettis is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from one of a number of personal names. The surname Bettis is usually explained as a metronymic derivative of the female personal name Beatrice, or less often, Elizabeth. [1]

However, the name is undoubtedly occasionally derived from the male personal name Bartholomew, which also took the variant forms Bertram or Bertelmew. The surname Bettis may also be a "local" type surname which means a dweller by the hollows.

Early Origins of the Bettis family

The surname Bettis was first found in Norfolk, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

"One of the principal stocks of the old and characteristic Norfolk name of Betts included the family that possessed, in the 15th and 16th centuries, the manors of Hastings Hall and Whitefoot in Irmingland. This name is also well represented in Lincolnshire, where it usually takes the form of Bett; it is also present, though less numerous, in the other east coast counties of Suffolk and Kent." [2]

Early History of the Bettis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bettis research. Another 178 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1379, 1500, 1581, 1590, 1743, 1770, 1480, 1905, 1912, 1570, 1576, 1695, 1642, 1643, 1646 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Bettis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bettis Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Bettis has undergone many spelling variations, including Betts, Bets, Bettes, Bett, Bette and others.

Early Notables of the Bettis family (pre 1700)

Notables of the family at this time include John Bettes (d. 1570?), an English miniature painter, commonly stated to have been a pupil of Nicholas Hilliard. "Bettes painted a miniature in oils of Queen Elizabeth, which is said to have been highly successful. He is mentioned by Foxe in his 'Ecclesiastical History' as having engraved a pedigree and some vignettes for Hall's 'Chronicle.' He is also said to have painted the portrait of Sir John Godsalve. Foxe...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bettis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bettis Ranking

In the United States, the name Bettis is the 4,859^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [3]

Bettis migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Bettis were among those contributors:

Bettis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John, Bettis Jr., who landed in San Francisco, California in 1849 [4]
John Bettis, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 [4]
Martha A. Bettis, aged 40, originally from Barrow, arrived in New York in 1895 aboard the ship "Teutonic" from Liverpool, England [5]

Bettis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frederick Bettis, aged 39, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Mesaba" from London, England [6]
Harry S. Bettis, aged 57, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Celtic" from Liverpool, England [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Bettis (post 1700) +

Thomas William "Tom" Bettis (1933-2015), All-American football linebacker and football coach, Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Coordinator in 1977, Cleveland Browns Defensive Coordinator in 1985
Valerie Elizabeth Bettis (1919-1982), American modern dancer and choreographer
Angela Marie Bettis (b. 1973), American actress, film producer, and director
John Bettis (b. 1946), award-winning American lyricist
Jerome Abram Bettis (b. 1972), retired American football halfback
Bettis Alston "B.A." Garside (1894-1989), American author

The Bettis Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ostendo non ostento
Motto Translation: I show, not boast.

Citations +

Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JX3H-X3N : 6 December 2014), Martha A. Bettis, 26 Dec 1895; citing departure port Liverpool, arrival port New York, ship name Teutonic, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6ZJ-HTT : 6 December 2014), Frederick Bettis, 17 Jun 1920; citing departure port London, arrival port New York, ship name Mesaba, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
"New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J6VB-F22 : 6 December 2014), Harry S. Bettis, 28 Nov 1921; citing departure port Liverpool, arrival port New York, ship name Celtic, NARA microfilm publication T715 and M237 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).