Show ContentsPeart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Peart came from person who was referred to as Peat. The surname Peart was originally derived from the Old English name "Peter." 1 2 Alternatively, the name could have been a nickname for a "delicate person, a pampered pet." 3 Another source presumes the name could have been "short for Peatman, a cutter of Peat." 4 And finally, one source believes the name could have been Norman in origin as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Rickard and Tustin Peet in Normandy 1198. 5

Early Origins of the Peart family

The surname Peart was first found in Winchester where Ralph Peet was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1210-1211. Later in Worcestershire, we found Richard Peet in the Subsidy Rolls for 1327. 6

In Somerset, Richard de Peyt was recorded there 1 Edward III (in the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 includes an entry for John Pitte c. 1272. 5

Early History of the Peart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peart research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1485, 1513, 1563, 1570, 1589, 1593, 1610, 1630, 1647, 1652, 1672 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Peart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peart 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 Peart family name include Peat, Peate, Peart, Pert, Pett and others.

Early Notables of the Peart family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Peter Pett, (fl 1563), master-shipwright at Deptford. He was great-grandson of Thomas Pett of Skipton in Cumberland. "But Skipton is in Yorkshire, and, though some of his kin may have settled in the north, it is more probable that he belonged to the family of the name which early in the fifteenth century owned property at Pett in the parish of Stockbury in Kent. " 8 He was progenitor of the...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peart Ranking

In the United States, the name Peart is the 8,445th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 9


Peart migration to the United States +

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 Peart surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Peart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Peart, who settled in Virginia in 1752

Peart migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Peart Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Harper Peart, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
  • Jacob Peart, aged 13, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" 11
  • Thomas Peart, aged 16, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Omega" 11

Peart migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Peart Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Peart, aged 33, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Peart (post 1700) +

  • Darrell Peart (b. 1950), American furniture maker and designer
  • Sir William Stanley Peart FMedSci FRS (1922-2019), English physician and clinical researcher who was first to demonstrate the release of noradrenaline
  • John George "Jack" Peart (1888-1948), English football center forward and football manager
  • Neil Ellwood Peart OC (1952-2020), Canadian drummer and lyricist for the rock band Rush, inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1983
  • Mr. Raymond Henry Peart B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to Injured Service Personnel and to charity
  • Alan Peart DFC (1922-2018), New Zealander fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force, during World War II, credited with 6.33 aerial victories
  • Paul Peart, British comics artist
  • Charles Peart (1759-1798), Welsh sculptor
  • Michael Peart, Jamaican politician, the current Speaker of House of Representatives
  • Gregory John "Greg" Peart (b. 1946), former Australian politician, former member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly as a Labor member for Braddon (1986-1989)
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Peart Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ardens
Motto Translation: Fervent.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  5. 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)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  8. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  9. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OMEGA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Omega.htm


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