Kelt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Kelt

What does the name Kelt mean?

The current generations of the Kelt family have inherited a surname that was first used hundreds of years ago by descendants of the ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Kelt family lived in the lands of Keltie, which were found near Callander in the county of Perth.

Early Origins of the Kelt family

The surname Kelt was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland, where they held a family seat from very early times on the old lands of Keltie, near Callander.

Early History of the Kelt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kelt research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1616, 1628 and 1647 are included under the topic Early Kelt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kelt Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Kelt has been spelled Keltie, Kelty, Keltey and others.

Early Notables of the Kelt family

John Keltie, Burgess of Edinburgh

Kelt migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kelt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Kelt, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
James Kelt, aged 28, a cabinet maker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Elizabeth Kelt, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840