The name Pettie is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a small person. The surname Pettie originally derived from the Old French word Petit which referred to small or tiny. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.
The surname Pettie was first found in Warwickshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times as Lords of the Manor of Ilmington conjecturally descended from the land holder recorded in the Domesday Book survey taken in 1086 A.D., as being held by Alric the pre-conquest holder from Robert of Stafford.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pettie research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1124, 1296, 1395, 1382, 1623, 1583, 1639, 1628, 1629, 1621, 1661, 1660, 1623, 1687, 1548, 1589, 1566 and 1567 are included under the topic Early Pettie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Pettie has undergone many spelling variations, including Pettey, Petty, Pettie, Pety, Petie and others.
Notables of the family at this time include Maximilian Petty (c 1583-1639), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1628 to 1629; Edmund Petty (c. 1621-1661), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660; and Sir William Petty FRS (1623-1687)...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pettie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the Pettie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Pettie were among those contributors: