Show ContentsPetties History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Petties

What does the name Petties mean?

The name Petties is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name that was given to a person who was a small person. The surname Petties 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.

Early Origins of the Petties family

The surname Petties 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.

Early History of the Petties family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Petties research. Another 148 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1124, 1296, 1382, 1395, 1548, 1566, 1567, 1583, 1589, 1621, 1623, 1628, 1629, 1639, 1660, 1661 and 1687 are included under the topic Early Petties History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Petties Spelling Variations

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 Petties has undergone many spelling variations, including Pettey, Petty, Pettie, Pety, Petie and others.

Early Notables of the Petties family

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), an English statistician and physician, founder of the...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Petties Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Petties Ranking

In the United States, the name Petties is the 18,512nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Petties family to Ireland

Some of the Petties 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.

Migration of the Petties family

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 Petties were among those contributors: James Pettey who settled in New Hampshire in 1718; Ann Pettey settled in Maryland in 1740; John Pettie landed in America in 1685; Sir William Petty settled in Pennsylvania in 1682.



  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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