Petty Family Name History
There are two possible explanations for the surname Petty and its variants Pettie, Pettee, Petit, and Pettitt when it is found in Ireland. The principal Petty family was established in the county Kerry by the famous Sir William Petty in the seventeenth century. The name may be of the nickname origin, descriptive of some personal or physical characteristic of the initial bearer and in this case, the name may be derived from the Old French "petit" meaning "small, one small in stature".
Alternatively, it is also possible that the name is of Scottish origin, having been brought to Ireland during the Plantation period of the seventeenth century. Here the name is of local origin, derived from the place where the initial bearer once lived or held land. In this instance, the name may indicate "one who came from Petty" a place name in Scotland in the shire of Inverness. This toponym is derived from the Gaelic "peit" meaning "a share, portion or measure of land".
The earliest English record of this surname dates back to 1198 when one William Petie is recorded in the "Feet of Fines" in Nottinghamshire. 1249 one Walter le Petiet is listed in the "Assine Rolls" of Wiltshire and Thomas Petyt is mentioned in the "Subsidy Rolls" of Leicestershire in 1327. In Scotland the earliest record of this surname is from 1296 where it is mentioned that one Johan Petyt of the Miernes, Lanarkshire rendered homage. William Petyt was a character witness inn 1340 and Master Duncan Petit or Petyt was archdeacon of Glasgow in 1395.
The coat of arms was granted by Carney in Ulster in 1656 to William Petty MD, who became Physician-General to the army in Ireland. He was Knighted in 1661 and founded the noble house of Petty.
Blazon of Arms:
Ermine on a blend azure a magnetic needle ppr. pointing at the
north star.
Crest:
A beehive and bees proper.
Motto: Ut
apes geometriam.
