Show ContentsTeach History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This name is derived from the Middle English phrase "at asche," meaning at, or near the ash tree.

Early Origins of the Teach family

The surname Teach was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1] indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. They are believed to be of the same line as the Tascher of Normandy who were elevated to the nobility in 1667 in Normandy.

Early History of the Teach family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Teach research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1599, 1680, 1718 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Teach History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teach Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Teach have been found, including Tash, Tache, Taque, Tashe, Tacheau, Tassh and others.

Early Notables of the Teach family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Edward Teach (c. 1680-1718), better known as Blackbeard, the notorious English pirate...


United States Teach migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Teach were among those contributors:

Teach Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anless Teach, aged 28, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 [2]
  • Jacob Teach, aged 27, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 [2]
  • Michall Teach, aged 19, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 [2]
  • Petter Teach, aged 14, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 [2]
  • Uriah Teach, aged 40, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Teach Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Dorothy C. Teach, aged 29, who settled in America from Phila., Pennsylvania, in 1914

Contemporary Notables of the name Teach (post 1700) +

  • Don Teach, American actor
  • Jason Teach, American composer
  • Jessica Teach, American Hollywood visual effects artist
  • Edward Teach (1680-1718), better known as Blackbeard, thought to have been born in Bristol, England, the notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies.


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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