Show ContentsGuiot History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Guiot

What does the name Guiot mean?

Guiot is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. Guiot is a name that comes from Guyat, a pet form of the Old French given name Guy. 1

Early Origins of the Guiot family

The surname Guiot was first found in Sussex though the name "has gone through the various forms of Wyat, Wiat, Wyot, and Guyot, or Guiot. The last-named three are used indifferently in the time of King John, and clearly prove the derivation of the name as a diminutive, from the Norman-French personal name Gui or Guido, which we have also received in the form of Guy. The name Guyatt is still found in West Sussex." 2

Another noted source provides early entries for the name as a forename: Wiot de Acham in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1192; Wioth de Cratella in Northumberland (no date given); Gwiot in the Curia Regis Rolls for Gloucestershire in 1203; and Wyot in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. 3 Rolling back to earlier spellings as a surname, Reaney notes Thomas Guyot in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1295 and Henry Guyot in the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 proved the widespread use of the name both as a forename and surname: Ayote uxor Wyot, Shropshire; Henry Wyot, Cambridgeshire; Wyott le Carpentier, Buckinghamshire; and Wyot de Dudelebury in Shropshire. 4

There are scat records of the name in Scotland as Black notes "Maucolum Wyet of county Anegos rendered homage, 1296. Nothing more is known of him. James Vyot, Wyot, or Wyat, [was] burgess of Arnbroath, in record 1461-1468." 5

Early History of the Guiot family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Guiot research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1460, 1503, 1506, 1509, 1513, 1521, 1536, 1537, 1542, 1543, 1550, 1554, 1588, 1616, 1623, 1624, 1644, 1663, 1685, 1731, 1746 and 1813 are included under the topic Early Guiot History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guiot Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Guiot family name include Wyatt, Wyat and others.

Early Notables of the Guiot family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Henry Wyatt (1460-1537), an English courtier from Yorkshire; and his son, Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542), an early English language poet and statesman, knighted by Henry VIII in 1536; Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger (1521-1554), an English rebel leader during the reign of Mary I of England; his rising is traditionally called "Wyatt's rebellion"; George...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Guiot Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Guiot Ranking

In France, the name Guiot is the 1,019th most popular surname with an estimated 5,223 people with that name. 6


Guiot migration to Canada +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Guiot family to immigrate North America:

Guiot Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jean Baptiste Guiot, who arrived in Canada in 1632-1760
  • Jehan Guiot, who landed in Acadia in 1636

Contemporary Notables of the name Guiot (post 1700) +

  • Fernand Guiot (1932-2021), French-Belgian film, television and stage actor
  • Andréa Guiot (1928-2021), French 20th-century operatic soprano
  • Jean Guiot du Repaire, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 7
  • Nicolas Bernard Guiot de Lacour, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
  • Brigadier-General Léon-Alexis Guiot (1886-1973), French Commanding Officer during World War II 9


The Guiot 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: Duriora virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue tries harder things.


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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)
  6. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  7. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 9) Jean Guiot. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  8. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 9) Nicolas Guiot. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
  9. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 5) Léon-Alexis Guiot. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Guiot/L%C3%A9on-Alexis/France.html


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