Spirit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Spirit family

The surname Spirit was first found in Dorset, where the name appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Sprott, which was later changed to Spratt. The family branched into Devon and they also branched to Wareham in Dorset.

One source notes that the name could have been derived from "sprot (twig or small branch); one thought to possess some characteristic of a sprat (fish); dweller at the sign of the sprat. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had various entries for the name in various counties: Henry Sprot, Cambridgeshire; Richard Sprot, Oxfordshire; and Simon Sprot in Bedfordshire. John Sprot was listed in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign. 2

Agnes Sproate was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 and later John Sprott de Surlingham, Norfolk was listed in the History of Norfolk. 3

Much further to the north in Scotland, the name there was "perhaps from Sprot, an Old English personal name, but more likely to be of Scandinavian origin. The tradition of those bearing this name in Scotland is that their ancestors were Saxons who came into Scotland after the Norman Conquest of England. The first recorded of the name in Scotland appears to be Hugh Sprot of Ur who witnessed a charter by Eustace Baliol granting the church and lands of Hur (Urr) in 1262 to the monks of Holyrood. " 4

"Jack Sprat" (or "Jack Spratt") is an English language nursery rhyme that was first published in 1639 in John Clarke's collection of sayings. The rhyme was then later reprinted in Mother Goose's Melody around 1765.

Early History of the Spirit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spirit research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1307, 1376, 1398, 1443, 1457, 1479, 1505, 1582, 1594, 1600, 1616, 1623, 1628, 1635, 1666, 1684, 1713, 1890 and 1987 are included under the topic Early Spirit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spirit Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Spratt, Spratte, Sprat, Sprett, Spret, Sprott and others.

Early Notables of the Spirit family

Notables of the family at this time include Blessed Thomas Sprott (died 1600), also spelled Thomas Spratt, an English martyr from Skelsmergh, near Kendal in Westmorland; he was among the eighty-five martyrs of England...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spirit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Spirit family to Ireland

Some of the Spirit family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 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 Spirit family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: William Sprat who settled in New Jersey in 1685; Thomas Spratt settled in Virginia in 1635; Mary Spratt settled in New England in 1635; Edward, Jacob, John, Robert, Thomas Spratt, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1820 and 1850.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)