Clouter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of Clouter

What does the name Clouter mean?

The name Clouter came to England with the ancestors of the Clouter family in the Norman Conquest in 1066. The surname Clouter is for a person employed making or selling nails, particularly those used for horse shoes. The surname is derived from the Old French word clou, which in turn derives from the Latin word clavus, which both mean nail.

Early Origins of the Clouter family

The surname Clouter was first found in Normandy where they held a family seat.

Early History of the Clouter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Clouter research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1719 is included under the topic Early Clouter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Clouter Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Cloutier, Clouthier, Clouther, Clothier, Clouter, Cluthier, Cloethier, Cloetier and many more.

Early Notables of the Clouter family

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

Clouter migration to Canada +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Clouter or a variant listed above were:

Clouter Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Zacharia Clouter, who arrived in Barbados in 1663 and may have been from the north, perhaps the Maritimes or Quebec, Canada

Clouter migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 1

Clouter Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Zacharia Clouter, who sailed to Barbados in 1663

Sources +

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies