Leyt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Leyt

The history of the name Leyt begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name Lettice, a popular girls name in medieval times. This personal name was originally derived from the Latin laetitia, which means gladness and joy. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Leyt family

Early History of the Leyt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leyt research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1273, 1864, 1956, 1963, 1972 and 1981 are included under the topic Early Leyt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leyt Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Leyt has been recorded under many different variations, including Lett, Layt, Laite, Layte, Let, Lete, Latt, Leyt, Letts, Lettson and many more.

Early Notables of the Leyt family

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

Migration of the Leyt family to Ireland

Some of the Leyt family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 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 Leyt family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Leyt or a variant listed above: John, Leonard and Thomas Lett, who settled in Virginia in 1651; Elizabeth may have been a wife or child of one of the foregoing; Thomas Lett arrived in Barbados in 1635.