Gitt is a variation of Kidd

Question

The Gitt family tree of south central Pennsylvania has been traced back to one James Kidd first mentioned as being located near New Oxford, Pennsylvania in 1750.  The family name Kidd was soon shown as Kitt which is how the local, predominant Pennsylvania Germans would have pronounced it, then to Gitt, again as the German speaking population would have pronounced it.

Answer 1

Your post got be interested in the origin of the Kidd surname. Here's what surnamedb.com had on it.

Last name: Kidd

This interesting Anglo-Scottish surname has three possible origins. The first is from a medieval nickname for a lively, frisky person, and derives from the Middle English "kid(e)", meaning a young goat! The second possible origin is from the Middle English word "kidde" meaning a faggot of wood, and is an occupational surname for a seller of firewood and kindling. The third source is Anglo-Scottish, and is a derivative nickname of "Kit", itself a pet form of the name "Christopher", a Greek personal name introduced by Crusaders returning from the Holy Land in the 12th century. There are a number of variants of the modern surname including Kidd, Kidde, Kyd, Kydde, Kidman, etc. Early examples of the surname recordings include Reginald Kyd in the Hundred Rolls of Oxford for the year 1273, Willelmus Kydde in the 1379 Poll Tax Rolls of the same city, and Roger Kidd, who is recorded as being at "James Cittye, Virginea" on February 23rd 1623. This Roger Kidd was one of the very earliest settlers in the New World. Another was William Kidd of Boston, Massachusetts, who in 1696 was given the command of a privateer to suppress piracy in 1696, but undertook piracy himself, finding it more profitable than being a "Kings man". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Kide, which was dated 1181, in the pipe rolls of the county of Suffolk, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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Comments

The Angles were Germanic and invaded England before it was called England as I understand it. The Angles spoke Anglish, later called English. My line traces back to East Anglia, England.

Answer 2

I will go on my usual gripe that names are only correct orally until people became literate. My family is UK West country. Try saying the written word in the local accent if it's basically the same it is the same. A semi deaf senile scribe wrote down what he heard. Mine goes Prideaux Priddy Pready growled with a west country burr they sound the same.

Answer 3

This same trend happens in distant historic Britain as well, where the spellings have many variants of the name due to misinterpretation. Kit, Kitt, Ket, Kett all show up in studies.