| Flait History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland Etymology of FlaitWhat does the name Flait mean? Scottish annals reveal that the Flait surname came from a place name in Scotland, named with Viking elements. The name was no doubt taken on when they lived in Flet, a place-name found in the Orkney Islands. This was probably derived from the Old Norse word flötr, which meant "stretch of arable land." Early Origins of the Flait familyThe surname Flait was first found in the Orkneys, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. They derived their name from the village of Flett in the parish of Delting in the Shetland Islands. The name is mentioned in the early Viking sagas, and was one of the most prominent names mentioned in those sagas. "The family was at one time of such importance that, if they had ever been 'of Flett' we should have evidence of it" 1 Early History of the Flait familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Flait research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1427, 1480, 1509, 1516, 1665 and 1767 are included under the topic Early Flait History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Flait Spelling VariationsSpelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Flait has been spelled Flet, Flett, Fletts, Flait and others. Early Notables of the Flait familyAnother 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Flait Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Flait migration to the United States | + |
Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Flait:
Flait Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Johannes Flait, aged 32, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 2
- 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)
- 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)
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