Surname Stites - Meaning and Origin

Stites: What does the surname Stites mean?

The surname Stites is of English origin and has been derived from an old medieval given name. According to House of Names, it is considered a patronymic surname, which means it was originally derived from the first name of the father and was usually prefixed by "son of" or "daughter of". The surname's rooted name, Styche, originally appeared in Cheshire county, England.

The name carries a variety of different spellings which indicate its ancient origin dating back to the Middle Ages or earlier, representing an era when spelling variations were common due to the lack of standardized language. Some of these variations include Stich, Stitch, Styche, Styitch, Stych, and many more.

Please note that while some names have clear meanings often pointing towards a profession, location, or characteristic, others like Stites do not have a known clear and specific meaning, and may simply be derived from a parent's name.

Stites: Where does the name Stites come from?

The Stites surname is mostly found in North America and a few other countries today, primarily the United States and Canada. In the United States, Stites is most concentrated in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, with smaller numbers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Stites is also quite common in Florida, West Virginia, Missouri and Georgia. In Canada, Stites is most heavily concentrated in Ontario where it ranks in the top 1000 surnames.

The Stites surname likely originated from the Middle English word "Stite" which means stunned or amazed. This surname was most likely acquired by people who were bewildered or amazed by a certain event or person. The Stites surname most likely arrived in North America in the early 1600s with settlers from the British Isles.

Today, the Stites surname is not particularly common, ranking only in the top 10,000 surnames in the United States. However, due to the global reach of the internet, Stites may be more commonly encountered in other countries as its presence becomes more visible.

Variations of the surname Stites

The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Stites include:

Stights

Stytts

Styts

Styttts

Stit

Stitts

The Stites family name has many variants. During the Elizabethan and Victorian times the English language adopted many spellings of the family name. This led to Stites, also spelled as Stights, Styttts, Styts, Stit, and Stitts. All of these spellings are derived from the same root family name, Stites.

The spelling variations create a phonetic pronunciation of the family name, which is a way to differentiate the same surname, but with different spellings. Phonetic spellings can be used to distinguish two spellings of the same name such as Stites and Stitts.

Most of the Stites family name is now spelled as Stites, but there are still examples of the different spellings being used. The Stites surname is quite popular in the United States and is found in records from many states, including Georgia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Furthermore, the Stites family is known to be of English origin, as it was found in many records from the time of James I of England. The name is believed to come from the Old English words “stite”, meaning “steadfast” or “steading”. Later examples of the Stites family are found in Berwickshire, Scotland.

The Stites surname is also found in other countries today, including Ireland, Australia and Canada. The Stites family has been able to track their ancestry down through the centuries, from England and Scotland to the many countries they now live in.

Famous people with the name Stites

• William Stites: U.S. Army general and decorated veteran of World War II.
• W. E. Stites: Former Chief Executive Officer of BB&T Bank.
• Michael Stites: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian.
• J. D. Stites: Co-founder of Monsanto.
• Donald Stites: Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Kansas.
• Max Stites: Professional bull rider.
• Marjorie Stites: Former President of The Women's Foreign Missionary Society.
• Tim Stites: Grammy-nominated record producer and arranger.
• William J. Stites: Stanford University-trained electrical engineer. 10.Robert Emmett Stites: Former Associate Editor of The New York Times.

Other surnames

Stiteler