Peets History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The history of the name Peets begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from person who was referred to as Peat. The surname Peets 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 Peets family

The surname Peets 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 Peets family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peets 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 Peets History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peets Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Peets has been recorded under many different variations, including Peat, Peate, Peart, Pert, Pett and others.

Early Notables of the Peets 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 Peets Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peets Ranking

In the United States, the name Peets is the 17,200^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 9

Migration of the Peets family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Peets or a variant listed above: Joe and John Peat settled in Boston in 1635; Richard Peat settled in Virginia in 1754; Edward, and George Peat arrived in Philadelphia in 1878; Thomas Peart settled in Virginia in 1752.

Contemporary Notables of the name Peets (post 1700) +

Elbert Peets (1886-1968), American landscape architect, city planner, and author
Brian Canvin Peets (b. 1956), former American NFL football tight end, member of the San Francisco 49ers team that won Super Bowl XVI

The Peets 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.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/