Show ContentsTite History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Tite surname is generally thought to be derived from the Old Norse word "teitr," meaning "cheerful." According to the Venerable Bede, Tate was used as a nickname for Ethelberga daughter of Ethelbert, king of Kent. 1 Some sources suggest that its origins are quite distinct from the Old English roots of Tate.

Early Origins of the Tite family

The surname Tite was first found in Berwickshire an ancient county of Scotland, presently part of the Scottish Borders Council Area, located in the eastern part of the Borders Region of Scotland, where they held a family seat from early times. One of the first records of the name was Thomas dictus Tayt in 1329 who was listed as having a debt to the king at that time. There are several recorded instances of payments to a John Tayt, clerk of the hospital of Montrose, between 1362-70. Alexander Tayt was burgess of Edinburgh in 1381. Adam Tayte had a safe conduct to travel in England in 1424. 1

Early History of the Tite family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tite research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1381, 1424, 1432, 1490, 1492, 1531, 1567, 1575, 1597, 1605, 1626, 1652, 1666, 1692, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Tite History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tite Spelling Variations

Spelling variations occur frequently in Scottish names that date from the medieval era. They result from a general lack of grammatical rules and the tendency to spell names according to sound. Tite has been spelled Tait, Tate, Tayte, Taite and others.

Early Notables of the Tite family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Princess Tait of Kent; Faithful Teate (c.1626-1666) Irish Protestant clergyman and poet from County Cavan, Ireland, sometimes known as Faithful Tate or Faithfull Teate; and...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tite Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tite family to Ireland

Some of the Tite family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Tite migration to the United States +

In the 20th century, the ancestors of many of those Boernician-Scottish people still populate North America. They distributed themselves on either side of the border at the time of the War of Independence. United Empire Loyalists went north to Canada and those who wanted a new nation stayed south. Both groups went on to found great nations. Some of the first North American settlers with Tite name or one of its variants:

Tite Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Tite, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1837 2
  • John G Tite, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1862 2
  • Virginia Tite, aged 20, who landed in America, in 1896
Tite Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Harold Tite, aged 7, who landed in America from England, in 1915
  • Louisa Tite, aged 2, who immigrated to America from England, in 1915
  • Sidney Tite, aged 4, who landed in America from England, in 1915
  • Violet Adelaide Tite, aged 15, who immigrated to the United States from Northampton, England, in 1920
  • Amelia Tite, aged 50, who settled in America from Northampton, England, in 1920
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tite migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tite Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Annie Tite, aged 28, who immigrated to London, Ontario, Canada, in 1917

Tite migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tite Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Walter Tite, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "David Clarke" on 3rd June 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • William Tite, English Convict from Northamptonshire, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Tite (post 1700) +

  • Karen Tite, English actress based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire
  • Andrew Michael Joseph Tite (b. 1981), Canadian actor from Toronto
  • Sir William Tite CB (1798-1873), English architect, President of the Royal Institute of British Architects, best known for his rebuilding of the Royal Exchange (1844)


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-clarke
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851


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