Lates History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Lates

The origins of the name Lates are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name Lettice, a popular girls name in medieval times. This personal name was originally derived from the Latin laetitia, which means gladness and joy. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Lates family

Early History of the Lates family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lates research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1864, 1956, 1963, 1972 and 1981 are included under the topic Early Lates History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lates Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Lates family name include Lett, Layt, Laite, Layte, Let, Lete, Latt, Leyt, Letts, Lettson and many more.

Early Notables of the Lates family

More information is included under the topic Early Lates Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lates family to Ireland

Some of the Lates family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 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 Lates family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Lates surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John, Leonard and Thomas Lett, who settled in Virginia in 1651; Elizabeth may have been a wife or child of one of the foregoing; Thomas Lett arrived in Barbados in 1635.