Surname Bissett - Meaning and Origin
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Bissett: What does the surname Bissett mean?
The last name Bissett is believed to be an anglicized version of the Gaelic surname Mac Bheatha. The Mac Bheatha surname is thought to derive from the nickname bheatha, which translates to brave or hardy. It is speculated that the Bissetts descend from Scots and English settlers in the Highlands of Scotland, as the surname is primarily found in Scotland today.
The earliest known person to bear the Bissett name was a Robert Bissett, who in 1296 rendered homage to the King of Scotland for land he held in the Robertburn barony in Berwickshire. Other notable mentions include Alexander Bissett, who in 1377 was granted a charter by King Robert III of Scotland for land at Kilbucho near Peebles, and Sir Andrew Bissett of Corehouse, who in the 15th century was elected the first Sheriff of Lanark.
The lineage of the Bissett Clan can be traced back to the 17th century, when they received their lands of Corehouse in Lanarkshire. Although not as powerful as some of the major clan families of Scotland, the Bissetts were respected enough to form an alliance with the Campbell Earls of Argyll. By the late 19th century, many Bissetts had spread to towns and cities across Scotland and further afield.
Today, the Bissett name is still used throughout the world, by those who trace their family lineage to Scotland and its colorful history. To many, the surname is a source of pride, representing a connection to Scotland and the brave and hardy spirit of its people.
Order DNA origin analysisBissett: Where does the name Bissett come from?
The last name Bissett is most commonly found today in the United Kingdom and Canada. It is also found in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Mexico, though in much lesser numbers.
The surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin, meaning it first appeared in Britain with the Anglo-Saxon invaders of the 5th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English personal name such as 'Beca' or 'Becca'. Its first recorded use was in 1258 when a man named William Biset was noted in the Staffordshire County Court.
Today, the surname remains most popular in North America and the UK, though can also be found in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of the British Isles. In the United States, the most recent census records showed that Bissett was the 2,820th most commonly used surname.
In Scotland, the concentric distribution of the Bissett name is more scattered, with the highest densities in the regions of Glasgow, Inverness, and Caithness. The most recent figures for England show that it is the 1,752nd most common surname there. It is greatest in the regions of North-West England, Yorkshire, Essex, and Surrey.
Overall, the name Bissett is more common today in the countries where the Anglo-Saxons originally settled, with most of the people with that name living in the United Kingdom or North America.
Variations of the surname Bissett
The surname Bissett has many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin. These include Bisset, Biset, Byset, Bysset, Bissette, Bissote, Bissot, Bissotte, Besset, Buzzet, Bezet, Bezzet, Bessete, Bessot, and Bezzete.
Bissett is a habitational surname derived from Bisset in the Scottish counties of Stirlingshire and Ayrshire. It is thought to be derived from the Old French bes, meaning “a thicket” or “a cluster of trees”, and the Middle English et, meaning “of” or “belonging to”. It was also derived from Old Norse term bísast, which means “to grow” or “to increase”, referring to a fertile area of land.
The Bissett surname is most prevalent in Scotland, Canada, Australia, and the United States. In England, the name is found primarily in Northumbria and East Anglia. In Scotland, the earliest recorded bearer of the name, Walter Beset, was recorded in Stirlingshire in 1297. Within Scotland, the Bisset and Bysset spellings of the name are more prevalent in the Lanarkshire and Ayrshire regions. The Bissett spelling is most commonly found in Stirlingshire.
In the United States, the surname can be found in large numbers across the country, in states such as California, Florida, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. It is thought that the first immigrant bearing the name was Adam Bisset, who crossed the Atlantic to Virginia in 1713.
The Bissett surname continues to be a popular name in many of the countries in which it is found today. Despite the slight variations in spelling, all variants are thought to be derived from the same place of origin.
Famous people with the name Bissett
- Rachel Bissett: Canadian actress, best known for her leading role in the hit TV show, Dawson’s Creek.
- Bill Bissett: Canadian poet and spoken word artist from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- Benjamin Bissett: Canadian actor who has appeared in films such as Room and Miracles from Heaven.
- Alfred Bissett: Canadian actor who was a frequent face in Canadian theatre during the late 19th and early 20th century.
- Kusal Bissett: Antiguan & Barbudan basketball player, currently plays for the Royal Docks Basketball Club in England.
- Ashton Bissett: Canadian-American actor known for roles in the films Righteous Kill and Boardwalk Empire.
- James Bissett: Canadian former diplomat who was Ambassador to Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1992.
- Claude Bissett: Canadian former politician who served in the House of Commons of Canada in the 1990s.
- Alexander Bissett: American Twitch streamer and former basketball player from Oakland, California.
- Norman Bissett: Canadian producer, photographer, and songwriter who has collaborated with The Weeknd.