Show ContentsSpotts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Spotts family

The surname Spotts was first found in Berwickshire where "the name is derived from the barony of Spottiswoode. The family were benefactors to the Abbeys of Melrose and Kelso in early times. The immediate ancestor or Spottiswoode, still 'of that Ilk,' was Robert de Spottiswood, who was born in the reign of King Alexander III., and died in that of Robert Bruce. " [1]

Early History of the Spotts family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spotts research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1510, 1513, 1565, 1567, 1585, 1596, 1597, 1637, 1639, 1645, 1646, 1666, 1676, 1710, 1728, 1740 and 1923 are included under the topic Early Spotts History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spotts Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Spottiswood, Spottiswode, Sportwode, Sportwood, Spotswood and many more.

Early Notables of the Spotts family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was John Spottiswoode (1565-1639), Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland and historian of Scotland.James Spottiswood (1567-1645), was Bishop of Clogher, born at Calder in Scotland, the second son of John Spottiswood (1510-1585.) He was younger brother of John Spottiswood (1565-1637), Archbishop of St. Andrews. His father was a Scottish reformer, second son of William Spottiswood of Spottiswood who was killed at Flodden in 1513.Sir Robert Spottiswoode Lord Newabbey (1596-1646), was a Scottish lawyer and second...
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spotts Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spotts Ranking

In the United States, the name Spotts is the 10,022nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Ireland Migration of the Spotts family to Ireland

Some of the Spotts family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Spotts migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Spotts Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Spotts, who arrived in America in 1742 [3]
Spotts Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • E. R. Spotts, who arrived in New York in 1903 aboard the ship "Deutschland" from Southampton, England [4]
  • Harry F Spotts, aged 23, who arrived in New York in 1919 aboard the ship "Giuseppe Verdi" from Genoa, Italy [4]
  • Josepha K. Spotts, aged 48, who arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Southampton, England [4]
  • Dorothy Spotts, aged 18, arrived in New York in 1924 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Southampton, England [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Spotts (post 1700) +

  • Cory Spotts, American record producer from Phoenix, Arizona
  • James Russell "Jim" Spotts (1909-1964), American Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1930
  • Ralph Lewis Spotts (1875-1924), American gold medalist sport shooter at the 1912 Summer Olympics


The Spotts 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: Patior ut potiar
Motto Translation: I suffer that I may obtain.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result


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