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Tomlinson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Tomlinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The rich and ancient history of the Tomlinson family name dates back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from the personal name Thomas. Tomlinson is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. This surname came out of the religious given name tradition, and derived from the personal name Thomas, which means twin. Thomas was a popular name, owing to its biblical origins. 1

Early Origins of the Tomlinson family

The surname Tomlinson was first found in Durham where they were Lords of the manor of Gateshead from ancient times.

By the time of the Edward I (1312-1377), John Tomelyn and John Thomelyn were both listed in Somerset. 2 Later, in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, Robert Thomelynsone and Henricus Thomlynson were listed. 3

Early History of the Tomlinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tomlinson research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1617, 1668, 1681, 1748 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Tomlinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tomlinson Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Tomlinson have been found, including Tomlinson, Thomlinson and others.

Early Notables of the Tomlinson family

Notables of the family at this time include

Matthew Thomlinson or Tomlinson (1617-1681), an English soldier who fought for Parliament in the English Civil War, he was a regicide of Charles I, but escaped punishment at the Restoration; and Colon...

Tomlinson World Ranking

In the United States, the name Tomlinson is the 1,315^th most popular surname with an estimated 22,383 people with that name. 4 However, in Australia, the name Tomlinson is ranked the 908^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,336 people with that name. 5 And in New Zealand, the name Tomlinson is the 775^th popular surname with an estimated 945 people with that name. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Tomlinson as 348^th with 17,971 people. 7

Tomlinson migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Tomlinson, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Tomlinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joane Tomlinson, who landed in Virginia in 1618 8
Edward Tomlinson who settled in Virginia in 1637 along with Joanne, and John
Edward Tomlinson, who landed in Virginia in 1637 8
Thomas Tomlinson, who landed in Maryland in 1679 8

Tomlinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Tomlinson, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1718 8
Benjamin Tomlinson, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1732-1733 8
Richard Tomlinson, who arrived in Annapolis, Maryland in 1775 8
William Tomlinson, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1782

Tomlinson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Abel Arthur Tomlinson, who landed in America in 1811 8
Joseph Hale Tomlinson, who landed in New York in 1831 8
George Tomlinson, who landed in New York in 1831 8
Henry Tomlinson, who arrived in New York in 1833 8
Mark Tomlinson, who arrived in New York in 1840 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tomlinson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tomlinson Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Tomlinson, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Lieut. Isaac Tomlinson U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 he served in the Kings American Dragoons 9
Mr. John Tomlinson U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Tailor 9
Mr. Joseph Tomlinson U.E. born in Pennsylvania, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 9
Miss. Lydia Tomlinson U.E. born in Pennsylvania, USA who settled in Pennfield, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tomlinson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles Tomlinson, who arrived in Canada in 1834

Tomlinson migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tomlinson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Tomlinson, British Convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Miss Alice Tomlinson, (b. 1786), aged 26, English weaver who was convicted in Preston, Lancashire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Emu" in October 1812, the ship was captured and the passengers put ashore, the convicts were then transported aboard the "Broxburnebury" in January 1812 arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. James Tomlinson, British Convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Jonas Tomlinson, English convict from Nottingham, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. Abraham Tomlinson, British Convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tomlinson 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:

Tomlinson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Tomlinson, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "London" in 1840
Richard Tomlinson, aged 35, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 15
Dorothy Tomlinson, aged 32, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 15
George Tomlinson, aged 7, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 15
James Tomlinson, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tomlinson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16

Tomlinson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mathew Tomlinson, who settled in St. Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635
Peter Tomlinson, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Mathew Tomlinson, aged 31, who landed in St Christopher in 1635 8
Mr. Mathew Tomlinson, (b. 1604), aged 31, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 17
Thomas Tomlinson, who settled in Barbados in 1664

Contemporary Notables of the name Tomlinson (post 1700) +

Raymond Samuel Tomlinson (1941-2016), American computer programmer who implemented the first email program on the ARPANET system, originator of the '@' separator used in e-mail addressing 18
Richard Tomlinson (1827-1871), birth name of Walter Montgomery, an American-born British actor
Gerald Arthur Tomlinson (1933-2006), American crime writer, over 25 of his works appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, member of Mystery Writers of America in 1993 19
LaDainian Tomlinson (b. 1979), American NFL football player
Claire Janet Tomlinson (1944-2022), née Lucas, an English polo player and pony breeder, the highest-rated female polo player and coached the English national team she once captained
Charles Tomlinson (1808-1897), English scientific writer, younger son of Charles Tomlinson, born in North London
Henry Major "H.M." Tomlinson (1873-1958), English writer and journalist, known for anti-war works, novels and short stories
Ernest Tomlinson MBE (1924-2015), English composer, particularly noted for his Light music compositions
Roger F. Tomlinson (1933-2014), English geographer and the main originator of modern Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 20
Sir John Tomlinson CBE (b. 1946), English opera singer 21
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Tomlinson family +

HMS Hood

Mr. William T Tomlinson (b. 1924), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Aston Wood, Warwickshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 22

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. M Tomlinson, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 23

Winter Quarters coal mine

Mr. William Tomlinson, American mine worker from Scofield, Utah who worked in the Winter Quarters coal mine on 1st May 1900, when 10 of the 25lb kegs of black powder exploded; he died in the explosion 24

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Emu
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Raymond Tomlinson. (Retrieved 2016, March 7) Raymond Tomlinson. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Tomlinson
Gerald Tomlinson. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Gerald Tomlinson. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Tomlinson
Roger Tomlinson. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Roger Tomlinson. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Tomlinson
John Tomlinson. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) John Tomlinson. Retrieved from http://www.johntomlinson.org/
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Miners killed in Winter Quarters (retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/miners.html