Minette

Recorded in several forms including Minnie, Minet, Minett, Minette, Minot, Mynot and others this name is of French origins. It is or rather was in 17th century England, of Huguenot protestant origins. The Huguenots having been driven out of France were forced to seek a new life in the British Isles, where they were not always welcome, as theirconsiderable skills particularly in textiles, threatened the local labour market. This surname is said to derive from the personal name Min, a short form of the name Benjamin, with the added diminutive suffix of "et" or "ot" to give a meaning of 'Little Min' or 'Son of Min'. Benjamin means "The son on my right hand," the right hand implying strength and good fortune. The name is well recorded in the church registers of the city of London from Stuart period (1604 - 1714). Examples of these recordings include that on April 6th 1735 of Andre Minot, who was christened at La Patente, French Huguenot Church, Spitalfields, whilst on November 24th 1782, Susanne Angelique Minett was christened at Threadneedle Street French Church. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Minote. This was dated June 19th 1662, when he was christened at St. Mary Whitechapel, during the reign of King Charles IInd and known to history as The Merry Monarch, 1660 - 1695. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.