Show ContentsTidd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Tidd family

The surname Tidd was first found in Essex 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 village and lands of Tilbury, held by Randolph from Earl William de Warren, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Tidd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tidd research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1395 and 1401 are included under the topic Early Tidd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tidd Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tilbury, Tillbury, Tillborough, TilBerry, Tilburry, Tilbro, Tilborrow and many more.

Early Notables of the Tidd family

More information is included under the topic Early Tidd Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tidd Ranking

In the United States, the name Tidd is the 14,454th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Tidd migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tidd Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Tidd, who landed in Maryland in 1638 3
  • Robert Tidd, who arrived in New England in 1643 3
  • John Tidd, who arrived in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1644 3

Canada Tidd migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tidd Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Tidd U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 4
  • Private. Samuel Tidd U.E., (Teed) from Dutchess County, New York, USA who settled in Digby, Digby County, Nova Scotia c. 1784 he served in the Loyal American Regiment, married to Elizabeth having 5 children 4

New Zealand Tidd migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tidd Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Tidd, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844
  • Henry Tidd, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
  • Alice C. Tidd, aged 30, a nurse, who arrived in Canterbury aboard the ship "Rimutaka" in 1885

Contemporary Notables of the name Tidd (post 1700) +

  • Vice Admiral Emmett Hulcy Tidd (1923-2018), American Naval officer from Shreveport, Louisiana
  • Lieutenant Paul Tidd, American Navy, Officer-in-Charge of Ellsworth Station in 1958, eponym of Mount Tidd, Antarctica
  • Chaplain Rear Admiral Mark L. Tidd USN (b. 1955), retired American Navy officer, the 25th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Navy (2010-2014)
  • William Tidd (1760-1847), English legal writer, the second son of Julius Tidd, a merchant of the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn
  • Kurt Walter Tidd (b. 1956), United States Navy admiral, Commander, United States Southern Command, recipient of the Legion of Merit, son of Vice Admiral Emmett H. Tidd
  • John Tidd Pratt (1797-1870), English registrar of friendly societies, second son of John Pratt, surgeon, Kennington, Surrey


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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