Parfet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Parfet

What does the name Parfet mean?

Parfet is one of the many names that the Normans brought with them when they conquered England in 1066. The Parfet family lived in Parfitt (Parfait) in Normandy. Roger Perfectus or Parfait was listed there (1185-95) in the Mangn. Rotul. Scaccarii Normanniae. 1

The name was derived from Middle English "parfit" meaning "fully trained, well versed." The Old French version of the name was parfit(e) which meant "completed," from the Latin "perfectus", "to finish or accomplish." 2 "Parfit(i) and Parfett are the most common forms today. Perfect is fairly frequent but is late and due to the influence of the reconstructed, learned spelling of the adjective." 3

Alternatively the name could have been a nickname, probably originally denoting an apprentice who had completed his period of training.

Early Origins of the Parfet family

The surname Parfet was first found in Hampshire where Vnfridus parfait was recorded at Winton in 1115. A few years later, Richard Parfeit, Parfet was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Somerset in 1196 and later again, William Perfyt was listed in Herefordshire in 1383. 3

Other early records include Robert Parfyte who was listed in the Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem and Robert Parfite was listed in the Rolls of Parliament. 4

They acquired the lands of Bruton (anciently spelt Braueton) in Somerset which was the King's land even at the time of King Edward the Confessor in 1050. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book Bruton was a wealthy village containing six mills.

Early History of the Parfet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Parfet research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1717, 1780, 1800, 1820, 1836, 1848, 1850, 1859, 1861, 1875 and 1893 are included under the topic Early Parfet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Parfet Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Perfect, Perfett, Perfitt, Parfitt, Parfect and others.

Early Notables of the Parfet family

Edward Parfitt (1820-1893), English naturalist, born at East Tuddenham, Norfolk, on 17 Oct. 1820, son of Edward Parfitt (1800-1875) by his wife, Violet Howlet (1800-1836). The father was head gardener to Lord Hastings. Parfitt was educated at East Tuddenham and Honingham, and studied gardening under his father; he then became successively gardener to Anthony Gwyn of Sennow Lodge, Norfolk, and John Hay Hill, Gressinghall House, near East Dereham, and subsequently went on a voyage for scientific purposes. He was wrecked near the Cape of Good Hope, and an enforced stay in the colony intensified his...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Parfet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Parfet family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Parfet name or one of its variants: Robert Perfect who settled in Virginia with his wife in 1650; Jno Parfitt, who came to Virginia in 1664; Augustine Parfitt, who came to Barbados in 1679.

Sources +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)