| ![Show Contents]() Holitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The Holitt family has descended from the ancient Anglo-Saxon word "haletta," meaning "one who is hailed or greeted-a hero, an eminent man." 1 Other sources claim the name came from the expression "of the hall head" 2 or "dweller at the Hall-Head land." 3 Early Origins of the Holitt familyThe surname Holitt was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Holitt familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Holitt research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1628, 1652, 1656, 1683, 1687, 1689, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1713, 1722 and 1744 are included under the topic Early Holitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Holitt Spelling VariationsBefore English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Holitt include Hallett, Hallet, Hollett, Hollet, Hollitt and many more. Early Notables of the Holitt familyNotables of the family at this time include Joseph Hallett or Halet (1628?-1689), an English ejected minister, "born at Bridport, Dorsetshire, about 1628. He became by his own exertions a good Greek scholar and proficient in Hebrew. In 1652 he was ‘called to the work of the ministry’ at Hinton St. George, Somersetshire, a sequestered living, and was ordained to this charge on 28 Oct. 1652 in St. Thomas's Church, Salisbury, by the ‘classical presbytery of Sarum.’ " 4His son, Joseph...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Holitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Holitt familyA great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: John Hallett who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his wife and five children and their servants (see above); Andrew Hallett settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635.
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
 |
