Burtts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Burtts

The name Burtts came to England with the ancestors of the Burtts family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman personal name and was originally spelled Berte. That name is derived from the word berht, which means light. Hence the name could have been a nickname for someone who was "bright, clear or splendid" having derived from the Anglo Saxon word "beorht." 1

Early Origins of the Burtts family

Early History of the Burtts family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burtts research. Another 169 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1066 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Burtts History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burtts Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Burt, Burte, Birt, Burts, Berte, Burte, Birte and many more.

Early Notables of the Burtts family

More information is included under the topic Early Burtts Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burtts family to Ireland

Some of the Burtts family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burtts family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Burtts name or one of its variants: John Birt who settled in Barbados in 1683; Edward, George, John, and Patrick Birt settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850; William Birt settled in San Francisco, Cal. in 1852.