The distinguished surname Pitmind emerged among the industrious people of
Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the
Flemish and English nations, many
Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same
personal name. The manner in which
hereditary surnames arose is interesting.
Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land.
Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by
de la or
de le, which mean
of the or
from the. The Pitmind family originally lived in any low-lying area resembling a pit or hollows. The surname Pitmind is derived from the Old English words
pytt, which means
pit, and
mann, which means
man. The surname Pitmind belongs to the class of
topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
Early Origins of the Pitmind family
The surname Pitmind was first found in
Devon, but we must look to
Normandy, France to find the earliest record of the name. There we found Maingot Piteman who was listed in 1198 in the Magnum Rotulum Scaccarii Normanniae...
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) Uban Piteman was listed in the Assize Rolls of
Norfolk in 1203
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X) and John Piteman was listed in the
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in
Buckinghamshire.
[3]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Pitmind family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pitmind research.
Another 153 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pitmind History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Pitmind Spelling Variations
Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of
spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the
Flemish settlers in
England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of
Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Pitman, Pittman and others.
Early Notables of the Pitmind family (pre 1700)
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pitmind Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Pitmind family to the New World and Oceana
The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Pitmind: Christopher Pittman, who came to Virginia in 1623; Sarah Pittman, who settled in New
England in 1635; John Pitman, who settled in New
England in 1663.