McFait History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of McFait

The origins of the name McFait are from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name for Patrick. In the religious naming tradition the McFait surname was bestowed in honor of a religious figure. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Middle English word "pate" which meant "head" or "skull". In this latter case, the name would have been a nickname.

Early Origins of the McFait family

Early History of the McFait family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McFait research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1516, 1528, 1533, 1557, 1565, 1585, 1588, 1652, 1666, 1688, 1734 and 1746 are included under the topic Early McFait History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McFait 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 McFait family name include Pate, Pait, Pat, Patt and others.

Early Notables of the McFait family

Richard Pate (1516-1588), English founder of the Cheltenham grammar school, commonly described as of Minsterworth, Gloucestershire. Pate died on 28 Oct. 1588, in his seventy-third year, and was buried in the south transept of Gloucester Cathedral, where his monument was renewed by Corpus Christi College in 1688. Richard Pate or Pates (d. 1565), was an English prelate, Bishop of Worcester, son of John Pate of Oxfordshire. In November 1533...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McFait Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McFait family to Ireland

Some of the McFait family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McFait 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 McFait surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Richard Pate, who settled in Virginia in 1636; as did William Pate in 1637; John Pate in 1651; Henry and Catherine Pate in 1656; and Elizabeth Pate in 1663..