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Petty: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Peitíd · Norman 'le Petit' — 'the little, small of stature'

Woulfe (1923) lists Petty among the forms of Peitíd (Petit, Petite, Pettitt, Petty), from the Norman 'le Petit,' meaning 'the little, small of stature.' He says the Petits settled early in Meath and Westmeath, where they obtained large grants of land from de Lacy, and that they were feudal barons of Dunboyne and of Mullingar.

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Coat of arms associated with the Petty surname
Irish formPeitíd
MeaningNorman 'le Petit' — 'the little, small of stature'
CountiesMeath, Westmeath
Other spellings3
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Origin of the Petty name

Woulfe: Norman 'le Petit,' 'le Petite,' 'i.e., the little, small of stature.' 'The Petits settled early in Meath and Westmeath where they obtained large grants of land from de Lacy. They were feudal barons of Dunboyne and of Mullingar.'[1]

  1. 1230Four Masters: Rool Petit (Rodolphus Petit), Bishop of Meath, is among those who died.[3]
  2. 1467Four Masters: 'the son of Petit of Mullingar, i.e. the Prior of Mullingar,' died of the plague.[4]
  3. 1623Sir William Petty born at Rumsey, Hampshire, per Webb.[5]
  4. 1654Petty contracts with Government for the survey of Ireland (December), per Webb.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. MeathWoulfe: the Petits settled early in Meath and Westmeath.[1]
Co. WestmeathWoulfe: the Petits settled early in Meath and Westmeath, with large grants of land from de Lacy.[1]

Notable people named Petty

Sir William Pettyb. 1623Webb: son of a clothier, born Rumsey, Hampshire; physician to the Parliamentary army in Ireland; landed Waterford, September 1652.[5]

Other spellings

Petit · Petite · Pettitt[1][2]

The Petty coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Petty surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Petty surname: questions

What does the surname Petty mean?

Woulfe lists Petty with Petit, Petite and Pettitt under Peitíd, from the Norman 'le Petit,' meaning 'the little, small of stature.' He adds that it is also rendered by translation as Little.[1]

Is Petty an Irish or a Norman name?

Woulfe calls it Norman and says the Petits settled early in Meath and Westmeath, obtaining large grants of land from de Lacy, and were feudal barons of Dunboyne and of Mullingar. He gives no Gaelic origin.[1]

Is Petty the same as Petit or Pettitt?

Woulfe prints Petit, Petite, Pettitt and Petty together under Peitíd, and Matheson's 1901 varieties list gives Petit, Petite, Pettitt and Petty together.[1][2]

Who was Sir William Petty?

Webb describes him as the son of a clothier born at Rumsey, Hampshire, on 26 May 1623, who became physician to the Parliamentary army in Ireland, landing at Waterford in September 1652, and in December 1654 contracted with Government to survey Ireland.[5]

Sources

  1. Peitíd, Peitídh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/p/peitid.php
  2. Petty — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/1715.php
  3. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1230 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005C/text006.html
  4. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1467 — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005D/text010.html
  5. Petty, Sir William — A Compendium of Irish Biography (Alfred Webb, 1878), LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/biography/SirWilliamPetty.php