Recorded in many forms including Bett, Bette, the patronymics Betts and Bettes, the diminutives Betiss, Bettis, and Bettiss, this interesting surname is medieval English. It derives from the given name Bett, itself a short form of either the biblical Bartholomew, or as a metronymic from the female names Beatrice or Elizabeth. Whilst patronymics, that is to say names descended from a father, are much more popular than metronymics, that is descent from the mother, the latter are by no means unusual.
This is because in ancient times the mother may well have been the land owner, and therefore a son would often take his mothers name. Bartholomew derives from the Aramaic patronymic "bar-talmy", which means "rich in land", whilst Beatrice is from the Latin 'Viatrix' meaning traveller and Elizabeth is Hebrew and means 'oath of god'. Early examples of the surname recording including Emma Bettes or Bettis of Oxford in the Hundred Rolls of 1279, and Robert Bet in the Close Roll of London in 1312. Leonard Betts was the captain of the "Paule", sailing out of London in 1635. He was one of the eraliest names recorded in the lists of settlers to the new colonies of America. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Terri Bette, which was dated circa 1154, in the History of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. This was during the reign of King Henry 11nd of England , 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was sometimes known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Discovering the historical origins of Bettis is an incredibly exciting journey that takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who built this lineage. Like most surnames, the history of the surname Bettis is a thorny and surprising journey into the past in order to find out the origin of the surname Bettis, which leads us to have more knowledge about those who bear the surname Bettis, their origin, their coat of arms, the bibliography in which it appears... It is possible to trace their genealogy and, in addition to the original places of Bettis, we know where it is possible to find people with the surname Bettis today.
View complete list of Bettis in the world
The history of Bettis is an interesting sequence of events that were protagonized by the people who have held the surname Bettis throughout history, and it is possible to trace this history back to the first bearers of the surname Bettis. Their feats, their way of life, the places they lived, their family relationships, the jobs they held... All of this is crucial for anyone who, like you, is interested in having more information about the historical, heraldic, coat of arms, and nobility of the surname Bettis. In the following lines, you can find everything we have been able to compile about the surname Bettis. However, if you have more information that you would like to share, we would greatly appreciate your contribution to expand the knowledge of people who, like you, are looking to increase their knowledge about the surname Bettis.
Unfortunately, we do not have any more historical information about Bettis than the one we have provided with pleasure. We invite those who visit us on this website to analyze the recommended bibliography and to come back often, since we often receive valuable collaborations from other people interested in the origin and history of surnames that could have information of special interest about the surname Bettis, and that we would update on this website as soon as possible (after a previous verification). Similarly, if you consider yourself one of those people, we urge you to support us and send us the information about Bettis that is available to you, thanking you in advance for your detail.
There have probably been some significant Bettis throughout the history of humanity, even if, for some reason, not all of their contributions were included in the chronicles of the time or their data has not come down to the present day. Unfortunately, not all of the important contributions of people who have carried the surname Bettis were taken into account at the time by the chroniclers of the time. Although a surname has the ability to link a person to a famous lineage and a glorious coat of arms, it is individuals who, throughout their lives and by virtue of some outstanding or important achievements for the society in which they lived, give their surnames renown and it is possible to establish prominent lineages. For this reason, we want to highlight on this website those people with the surname Bettis who, for some reason, have left their mark on the course of history.
Based on all the research we have been able to gather so far, we can say that there is information available about the history, genealogy, and heraldry of the surname Bettis thanks to bibliographic sources. This means that we can discover more about its original meaning, origin, history, coat of arms, and heraldry. Our recommendation is to consult the following sources if you want to conduct research on the surname Bettis, as well as many other surnames:
These sources are essential for taking a step forward in the study of Bettis, and of surnames in general.