Show ContentsShorte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Shorte

What does the name Shorte mean?

The name Shorte is of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was name for a person who because of their physical characteristics was named short. In this case the surname Shorte can be traced back to the Old English word sceort which means short. The original bearer would have been known as the short one, because of his low stature. As height is one of the most easily distinguished features of a person, names derived from this aspect of a person's physique are by no means rare.

Early Origins of the Shorte family

The surname Shorte was first found in Dorset, England where one of the first records of the name was Ordic Scort who was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1176. Other early records include Richard le Sorte who was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1269 in Somerset and William Short who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex of 1327. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William Short in Suffolk. 2

Early History of the Shorte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Shorte research. Another 89 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1603, 1635, 1668, 1675, 1685, 1690, 1772 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Shorte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Shorte Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Shorte have been found, including Short, Shorte, Shortt, Schorte and others.

Early Notables of the Shorte family

Peter Short (died 1603), a London printer who printed several first editions and early texts of Shakespeare's works. Thomas Short (1635-1685), was an English physician, son of the Rev. William Short, born at Easton, Suffolk. He settled in London and was admitted a candidate at the College...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Shorte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Shorte family to Ireland

Some of the Shorte family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Shorte migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Shorte, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were:

Shorte Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Shorte, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Mary & John" 3
  • William Shorte, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 3
  • Mathew Shorte, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 3
  • Thomas Shorte, who landed in Virginia in 1664 3

Shorte migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4
Shorte Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Joane Shorte, aged 20, who landed in St Christopher in 1634 3


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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