Variation through time

Between the 6 chosen variants, there is clearly transition between them. Sometimes, records explicitly record the different ways that the name can be recorded by the same person, as in Northcott atherwise Narracott (Devon, 1656), Norcutt alias Northcote (Devon, 1699), Norkett  alias Norcott (Middlesex, 1718). Plus, early records such as those of William Northcoate, the soldier of Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA, also being recorded Northcutt also Norcutt, Norkett or Norcut. This is another example of how much the name can be interpreted differently as a spoken or written word.

However, another way to show this is through the way the name has spread into different areas and changed over time in each of those locations. New variants of the name often appear in different locations and the changes that take place can follow suit in different counties regardless of name origin and genealogical line.

The following map shows the date of each new variant of Northcote names found within a county of England (and presumably the world), up until the year 1299:

The second map shows new variants within the date range of 1500-1599 across all counties of Britain & Ireland (note that in many cases earlier records of the same name spelling exist). The map illustrates the difference between name distribution of the name three to four hundred years later, with the de, atte or of being no longer used and other changes such as a much more frequent use of double r’s and double t’s. The vowell a also replaces the o more frequently in many of the counties.

The name spread out to other areas of the globe, and as it did, different variations became more frequently used in some countries rather than others, such as Norcott being frequently used in Ireland and Northcutt being frequently used in the United States of America. These variations do not appear to relate to county origin.