I'm trying to find the origin of my maiden name, Armitage...any ideas?

Answer 1

Armitage Surname Origin
(Locality Origin) The same as Hermitage, the cell or habitation of a hermit, formerly a wilderness or solitary place; a convent of hermits or minor friars.

Answer 2

Armitage
This interesting and unusual surname, recorded under the spellings of Armitage,
Armytage and Hermitage, derives from the Middle English and Old French
"(h)ermite", hermit, from the Greek "eremos", solitary, and was originally given either as
a topographical name to someone who lived by a hermitage, sanctuary, or place of
learning, or as a locational name from any of the places named with the above word.
These places include Hermitage in Durham, Northumberland, Dorset, Berkshire and
Sussex, and Armitage in Staffordshire. Early examples of the surname include: Hugh
del Hermytage (Warwickshire, 1296); Willelmus del Ermytache (Yorkshire, 1379); and
John de Armitage (Sheffield, Yorkshire, 1423). In April 1596, William Armitage,
rector of Billingford, Norfolk, was noted in Ecclesiastical Records of that county.

Most bearers of the name Armitage or Armytage can be traced back to a family living at
Hermitage Bridge, in Almondbury, near Huddersfield, in the 13th Century, and it is in
Yorkshire that the name is still most widespread. Early settlers in North America
include; Henry Armitage, who left the Barbados Islands on the ship "Society" bound for
Boston in March 1678, and Enoch Armitage of Wooldale, Yorkshire, who settled in
America after 1677. The family Coat of Arms is red with a lion's head erased between
three silver cross crosslets. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be
that of
Richard de Ermitage, which was dated
1259, witness, in the "Assize Court Rolls of Cheshire", during the reign of
King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272.

Answer 3

English Origin

The name Armitage dates back to the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain.
It is derived from their residence in the county of Yorkshire in eastern England.
Records show that most, if not all of the bearers of the surname can be traced back to a family living at Hermitage Bridge in Almondbury, near Huddersfield in the 13th century.
Spelling variations include: Armitage, Hermitage, Ermytache, Ermitage, Armitach, Hermitack, Armitack and many more.
First found in the county of Yorkshire in eastern England, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Some of the first settlers of this name or some of its variants were: Godfrey Armitage of Lynn moved to Boston, Mass. in 1639; and Eleazor in 1669 was living in Lynn, Mass.

Answer 4

Armitage Surname Origin
(Locality Origin) The same as Hermitage, the cell or habitation of a hermit, formerly a wilderness or solitary place; a convent of hermits or minor friars.

Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857

Answer 5

You can research your family on

Ancestry.com
and
Genealogy.com

Answer 6

http://www.ancestry.com/