Nesbitt
A habitational surname from places called Nesbit in northern England, probably meaning a settlement by marshy or damp ground.
The #2,717 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 23,305 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Nesbitt is a habitational surname from places named Nesbit in Northumberland and Durham. The old place-name is usually taken to mean something like "nese" or "ness" plus "bita"; Harrison notes that the first element is more likely related to Old English words for marshy ground than to the sense of a headland. In plain terms, the name points to residence near low, wet land rather than to occupation or personal character.
History
The surname is recorded in medieval forms such as Nesbit and Nesbet, and later appears with many spelling variants, including Nesbeth and Nisbett. It spread beyond its northern English core through internal migration and later emigration, and it is now found in Britain, North America, and Ireland. In Irish records, Nesbitt appears especially in Ulster, where it became established as a surname in its own right.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name survives in both Nesbit and Nesbitt spellings, but the double-t form has become especially familiar in English-language records.
From the historical record
“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, a small piece}”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)