Nesbit
A locational surname from places in northern England, probably meaning “marshland by a spur” or a similar landscape feature.
The #7,021 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 64,794 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nesbit is generally treated as a habitational surname from places called Nesbit or Nesbitt in northern England and the Border country. The second element is commonly taken to be Old English or Old Norse related to a piece of land or a small ridge/spur, while the first element is usually explained as a word for a headland or promontory, though some older writers preferred a marshland sense. The exact breakdown is not entirely secure, but the name clearly refers to a local place-name rather than an occupation or personal nickname.
History
Medieval forms are recorded in northern England and the Scottish Borders, especially in Northumberland, Durham, Berwick, Roxburgh, and Haddington. Historical surname spellings vary between Nesbit, Nesbitt, and Nisbet, with Nisbet becoming especially familiar in Scotland. The surname spread through migration from these border localities, and later bearers kept the name in Britain and overseas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley noted that several of the places called Nesbit or Nesbitt had already given rise to surnames very early, so the family name may be older in records than the village forms people now recognize.
From the historical record
“NERN = Nairn, q.v. NESBIT ] (Eng.) Bel. to Nesbit(t (North- NESBITT iumb.^; Durham), 13th cent. NESBETT jTVesebit, 14th cent. Nesbyt [the first element is rather O.E. ntess, low gBound == Dut. nes, low marshy ground, than O.E. nass, a headland h O.E. bita,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)