| ![Show Contents]() Batt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of BattWhat does the name Batt mean? Batt is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived as the nickname ‘the bat’ or as a petname of Bartholomew. "We have also to take into account the byname of a Winchester monk: Ælfricus qui Bata cognominabatur (c. 1051 Old English Bynames). This has given rise to various conjectures, none wholly satisfactory." 1 Bardsley feels the name is "derived from the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Bartholomew,' from the nickname Bate or Bat; v. Batson, Bate, and Batty, " 2 and Smith similarly agrees the name denotes "the son of Bate, a pet form of Bartholomew (son of Talmai, furrow); one of stout, heavy appearance." 3 Early Origins of the Batt familyThe surname Batt was first found in Shropshire where William Bat was listed in 1170-1187. Herbert Bat was similarly listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1182. 1 Another early record was Gerrard Bat who was Lord Mayor of London in 1240. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Gilbert Batte, Rutland; Reginald le Bat, Essex; and Matilda Battes, Cambridgeshire 2 while in Somerset, Clarice Batte was recorded there 1 Edward III (during the reign of King Edward III.) 4 Early History of the Batt familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Batt research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1273, 1323, 1620, 1631, 1642, 1651, 1655 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Batt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Batt Spelling VariationsSound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Batt family name include Batt, Batte, Bat, Batts, Baat and others. Early Notables of the Batt familyDistinguished members of the family include - Anthony Batt (d. 1651), a Benedictine monk who resided for some years in the English monastery of his order at Dieulwart, in Lorraine. 5
- M. Batt was a bookseller in London, 1642. His name occurs on several political pamphlets such as the following: True and exact relation of the Proceedings of His Majesty's Army in Cheshire, Shropshire...
- Nathaniel Batts (1620-1679) was an English fur trader who became the first recorded European to permanently settle in North Carolina in 1655, eponym of Batts Island
Batt RankingIn the United States, the name Batt is the 10,263rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Batt is ranked the 6,572nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 7 Migration of the Batt family to IrelandSome of the Batt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Batt migration to the United States | + |
For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Batt surname or a spelling variation of the name include:
Batt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Michael Batt, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Hercules" 8
- John Batt, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 8
- Ellin Batt, who arrived in Virginia in 1624 aboard the ship "Warwick" 8
- Michael Batt, who landed in Virginia in 1624 8
- Christopher Batt, aged 37, who landed in New England in 1634 8
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Batt Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Conrad Batt, who landed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1754 8
- Niclaus Batt, who landed in New York, NY in 1782 8
Batt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Jacob Batt, aged 4, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 8
| Batt migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Batt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Edward Batt, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
- Mr. Thomas Batt, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 18th June 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
- Zebulon Batt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Mitchell" in 1840 10
- Mr. Charles Batt, English convict who was convicted in Winchester, Hampshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 11
- Mr. William Batt, English convict who was convicted in Winchester, Hampshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 11
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Batt migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Batt Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- John Batt, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Olympus
- John Batt, aged 26, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1842
- Ann Batt, aged 20, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Olympus" in 1842
- William W. Batt, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
- Dr. C.D. Batt, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Zealandia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd December 1870 12
| Batt 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. 13Batt Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century- Elizabeth Batt, who settled in Barbados in 1660
- Elizabeth Batt, who arrived in Barbados in 1663 8
- Lirsulla Batt, who landed in Barbados in 1663 8
- John, Batt Sr., who arrived in Barbados in 1679 8
| Contemporary Notables of the name Batt (post 1700) | + |
- Philip Eugene "Phil" Batt (1927-2023), American politician, 29th Governor of Idaho from 1995 to 1999, 35th Lieutenant Governor of Idaho (1979-1983)
- Bryan Batt (b. 1963), American actor, best known for his role in the AMC series Mad Men as Salvatore Romano
- Damien Batt (b. 1984), English footballer who most recently played for Dagenham & Redbridge.
- Charles Batt (1928-2007), Australian politician, Member for Derwent (1979–1995)
- Isaac Batt (1725-1791), English-born, Canadian fur trader from Widford, Hertfordshire who mostly worked for the Hudson’s Bay Company
- Sydney Mervin "Merv" Batt (1929-2015), New Zealand professional wrestler, trainer and promoter who used the ring name Steve Rickard
- Mike Batt (b. 1949), British based songwriter, musician and producer
- Batt Thornhill, Irish sportsperson (hurler) who played for Cork (1939-1944)
| Historic Events for the Batt family | + |
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- 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.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM MITCHELL 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840WilliamMitchell.gif
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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