Schutt
A surname found in German-speaking areas, probably from a nickname or a short form related to a word beginning with Schutt/Schütze rather than a single fixed source.
The #7,179 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,283 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The evidence here is not strong enough to give one secure derivation. The name appears in German records, and the excerpted scholarship links it with German surname forms such as Schütt and Schütze, suggesting it may be a shortened or altered form of a German nickname or occupational byname. However, the historical sources provided do not establish a single literal meaning with confidence.
History
The name shows up in German onomastic discussions rather than as a clearly explained dictionary headword. It has likely circulated in German-speaking regions for some time, and later bearers would have carried it into North America through immigration. Because the excerpts are only incidental mentions, no fuller historical narrative can be stated securely from them.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 1903 onomastic note explicitly groups Schutt with German surname forms, showing that scholars were already treating it as a distinct German family-name type.
From the historical record
“Scurrah, Scurry. See Scorer nr: Scutt. D. Skytt; Dch. Schutt p.n. See Skeat. Hugt. n., Lone . 1687 Seaber. Fr. Sibert ; a p.n. St Sei Seabright”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)