Lott
A surname with several possible roots, including Old English words for a crafty person, a fortune-teller, or a caster of lots.
The #1,350 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,796 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name has been explained in more than one way. One old source links it to Old English words like lote, meaning crafty, or hlot, meaning a lot or share and by extension a caster of lots or fortune-teller. Other surname dictionaries also connect it with continental forms such as French or Dutch Lott/Lotte, so the surname may have more than one independent origin.
History
In English records, Lott appears as a surname in several regions, especially in the south-east, and is also found in place-name-influenced forms. Some 19th-century writers thought at least part of the English use may have come from immigrants from the Low Countries. Because the name has multiple plausible explanations, individual family lines may not share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One early source notes that some instances of the name seem to have turned up in south-eastern English counties, where it may have been carried by families from the Continent.
From the historical record
“Linlithgow. LOTT. 1. A-Sax. lote, crafty ; or A-Sax. hlot, a caster of lots, a fortune-teller. 2. LOY 200 LOV”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Lott
- Pixie Lott (b. 1991)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.