Garit History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Ireland

Etymology of Garit

Although the Garit surname came to Britain with the Normans, it derives from the Germanic personal names Gerard, or Gerald, composed of the elements "gar," or "ger," meaning "spear," "hard," meaning "brave," or "strong," and "wald," meaning "rule." The Anglo-Norman surname Garit in Ireland was often Mac Gerailt, and was used as a synonym of Fitzgerald.

Early Origins of the Garit family

Early History of the Garit family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garit research. Another 27 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1598 is included under the topic Early Garit History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garit Spelling Variations

Since the early scribes and church officials who recorded names in official documents spelled a person's name as it sounded to them, a single person's name was recorded under several different variations and which today appears to denote more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Garit that are preserved in archival documents of this era include Garrett, Garratt, MacGarrett, McGarraty, Garret, Garrat, Garet, Garitt, Garatt and many more.

Early Notables of the Garit family

More information is included under the topic Early Garit Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Garit family

The late 18th saw the beginnings of a steady pattern of immigration out of Ireland. These initial settlers were drawn to North America by the promise of land. The prospect of their own tract of land to work solely for themselves was especially appealing to those that rented out farmland in Ireland from English landowners who were frequently absent. These immigrants were critical to occupying the land of the eastern United States and British North America. This pattern continued steadily until the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine sparked a major exodus of Irish families. Unlike their predecessors, the Irish were frequently destitute and desperate, and North America was regarded as holding more promise than trying to eke out an existence in Ireland - if they survived the disease and starvation that the famine had created. This great mass of people frequently experienced more racial discrimination by the general population when they arrived on North American shores, but they were warmly received by those industrialists with coal mines to work, products to manufacture, and railways to build. These Irish immigrants provided the nations of the United States and, what would later become Canada, with the cheap labor that was required for their rapid development as major industrialized nations. Whenever and however Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental to its cultural, economic, and industrial development. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Garit: Adam Garrett, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1779; Henry Garrett, who came to New York, NY in 1803; Edwin Garrett, who arrived in New York, NY in 1821.