The story of the Kiteridge family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of
Scotland in the Medieval era. The name Kiteridge was derived from the Old Norse
personal name Sigtryggr, which literally means
true victory. The Gaelic form adopted for the surname is
Mac Shitrig. Early Origins of the Kiteridge family
The surname Kiteridge was first found in
Galloway (Gaelic: Gall-ghaidhealaibh), an area of southwestern
Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Dumfries and
Galloway, that formerly consisted of the counties of
Wigtown (West Galloway) and Kirkcudbright (East Galloway), 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 Kiteridge family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kiteridge research.
Another 211 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1376, 1643 and are included under the topic Early Kiteridge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Kiteridge Spelling Variations
Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Kiteridge has been spelled MacKettrick, Kettrick, Kitterick, MacKitterick, MacEtterick, McKettrick, McKetrick, Ketterick and many more.
Early Notables of the Kiteridge family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Kiteridge Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kiteridge family to Ireland
Some of the Kiteridge family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 139 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kiteridge family to the New World and Oceana
Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American
War of Independence, those who remained loyal to
England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and
Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Kiteridge: Dr. John Kittredge (b. 1620), who arrived in America in 1660; G. B. Kitteredge, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852; F. M. Kitterage arrived in San Francisco in 1857.