Kit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Kit family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the name Christopher, where Kitt is a pet form. The name Kit is a diminutive, which is an expression relating to smallness in size or endearment, of the name. The most common diminutive suffixes are ot, et, un, in, el. Double diminutives are also formed from these suffixes, such as Hamelin, Roblett, Adnett, or Turkentine. Names ending in cock and kin became used more frequently in the mid-13th century and in the 14th century, they became extremely common.

Early Origins of the Kit family

The surname Kit was first found in Middlesex, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Kit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kit research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1173, 1273, 1327, 1377, 1621 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Kit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kit Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Kit include Kitt, Kit, Kitts, Kitte, Kyt, Kytte and others.

Early Notables of the Kit family

Distinguished members of the family include

Nicholas Kitte, a prominent 13th century landholder

Migration of the Kit family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Kit were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: William Kitts who sailed to Virginia in 1717; Michael Kitts to Pennsylvania in 1773; Henry Kitts to Philadelphia in 1844 and Peter Kitt to Philadelphia in 1859..

Contemporary Notables of the name Kit (post 1700) +

Barys Uladzimiravich Kit (1910-2018), Belarusian-American rocket scientist
Christian Kit Goguen (b. 1978), Acadian singer-songwriter/actor from New Brunswick
Kit Terrington (b. 1942), English actor from Brentford, Middlesex, England, known for The Secret of the Forest (1956), Escapade (1955) and The Reluctant Bride (1955)
Kit Hood (1943-2020), Canadian television director, writer and producer
Kit Woolsey (b. 1943), American bridge and backgammon expert, he and his wife Sally Woolsey were inducted into the ACBL Hall of Fame in 2005, eponym of the Woolsey convention
Kit Reed (1932-2017), American author of speculative fiction and literary fiction under the pseudonym Kit Craig
Kit Cosper (b. 1967), American co-founder of Linux Hardware Solutions, founding director of Linux International, the sixth employee at Red Hat
Kit Wohl, American award-winning writer, photographer, and artist
Kit West (1936-2016), British Academy Award winning and BAFTA Award winning special effects artist, best known for his work in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Return of the Jedi
Kit Zell (b. 1954), retired American soccer forward who played in 1976 for the Portland Timbers