Witt
A surname that can come either from the Old English personal name Witta, meaning a wise man or counselor, or from a nickname for someone fair or white-haired.
The #1,110 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,778 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname has more than one likely source. In some traditions it is treated as a descendant of the Old English personal name Witta, related to the word wita, meaning “wise man” or “counselor.” Other early surname studies also connect Witt with a nickname based on complexion, effectively “white” or fair-haired, though that explanation is less secure for every family line.
History
Medieval records show the related personal name Witta, and later surname writers grouped Witt with other short English names that could preserve that older form. In some areas, especially in English records discussed by Lower, the name was also linked to whiteness or a pale complexion, which may have influenced later spellings and interpretations. Because the surname can arise from different roots, family histories may not all share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Old English personal name Witta was said in early genealogical tradition to be an ancestor of the Kentish royal line.
From the historical record
“2 for Whitney, q.v. WITT (Eng.) the A.-Sax. pers. name Wit{t)a = Wise Man, Councillor [O.E. ■wita, sage, &C.1 A Witta was an early descendant of Woden and ancestor of the Kentish kings. Witta we6ld Swiifefum (WjVtaruledthe Swaefs, i.e.Swabians). — Widst^ (The Traveller), 1. 45.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Witt
- Alicia Witt (b. 1975)
- Katarina Witt (b. 1964)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.