Surname Woit - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'W'
Woit: What does the surname Woit mean?
The last name Woit is from a German origin. It is derived from the Middle High German word “woit” which means “guard, watchman or guardian." In some cases, the surname can also be found spelled as Woite or Woidt.
The Woit family, many of whom migrated to the United States in the 1700s and 1800s, made its home in areas of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Variations of the surname are spread across the globe, mainly in Germany, Austria, and the United States. Those with the surname Woit were typically farmers, blacksmiths and construction workers.
Today the name Woit can be loosely interpreted as someone who protects or shields. This could explain the Woit family’s presence in the United States as many of the first immigrants were searching for a safer and more prosperous life.
The Woit family tree is quite small, but it is a relatively young one. While many of those who originated the surname have long passed away, those who still bear the name proudly uphold legacy of protection, as the main objective of the Woit family was to ensure the safety of their family, and this remains a key value of those with the name to this day.
Order DNA origin analysisWoit: Where does the name Woit come from?
The last name Woit is not as common today as it was in the past. This last name is most commonly found in the United States and Canada, primarily in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. It is also found, though less frequently, in Germany and Austria.
The origin of this name remains uncertain, though it is thought to be of Germanic origin. It has several possible sources, including being derived from the German word for‘fight’, ‘Witt’, or possibly from the Bohemian word ‘Vojta’, which means ‘man’.
In the United States, family names containing the syllable ‘Woit’ have a strong concentration in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions. Examples include Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. This suggests that the surname might have originated from early German or Dutch settlers who lived in these areas in the 19th century.
In Canada, the surname is found primarily in Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan, and may have originated with German settlers who arrived in the Maritimes in the early 19th century.
Today, the last name Woit continues to be found in the United States and Canada, but is not as common as it was in the past.
Variations of the surname Woit
The Woit surname is of German-Bohemian descent. Variants of the Woit surname include Woyt, Voyt, Voytíček, Woytíček, Woytek, Voytek, Vojtek, Vojtíček, and Vojtik. The surname Woit may be spelled Waite, Wate, and Waight and appears as Woyth in records of the 1600s.
The Woit surname is often used interchangeably with variations such as Woyt and Voyt, and many of these variants were adopted by immigrants of German-Bohemian descent who made their way to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Variations in spelling of the surname are the result of phonetic changes and personal preference for spelling in many cases.
In Germany, the Woit family is often spelled as Woyt or Voyt and many of the families who originated from German-speaking areas of Europe use these variants. The Woytek and Voytek surnames also originated from the same root family but were used primarily by migrants in Eastern Europe such as Poland and the Czech Republic.
Variations of the surname Woit can be found throughout Europe, from England to Finland. In Central Europe, the surname Woytíček has been common since the late 1400s, but variations such as Vojtíček and Vojtik have been used in the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the 1600s.
No matter the spelling, Woit is a Germanic surname rooted in the same family tree. Despite the variations, all of these names may be traced back to the same origins.
.
Famous people with the name Woit
- Peter Woit: Mathematician
- Valerie Woit: Author and Activist
- Adam Woit: Canadian soccer player
- Richard Woit: American physicist
- Sarah Woit: Skateboarding champion
- Joseph Woit: Historical figure and landowner in East Grinstead, West Sussex
- Jessica Woit: Pop singer and songwriter
- Richard A. Woit: American Director of National Intelligence
- Alfred Woit: Austrian Journalist, author, and film maker
- Sophie Woit: Contemporary dancer and choreographer