Show ContentsTuel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Tuel can be traced to the ancient Celtic culture of Wales. The surname Tuel is derived from the Welsh word "tew," which means "portly" or "plump," and was most likely originally a nickname for a heavy-set person.

Early Origins of the Tuel family

The surname Tuel was first found in Cardiganshire (Welsh: Sir Aberteifi), the former Kingdom of Ceredigion, created as a county in 1282 by Edward I, and located on the West coast of Wales, where they held a family seat anciently. Traditionally they claim descent from Rhodri Mawr, the first great King of Wales through Lord Rhys, Prince of South Wales. Gwenllian, daughter of John Tew married Dafydd Llywellyn Lloyd of Castle Howel, first knight of the shire for Cardiganshire.

Early History of the Tuel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tuel research. Another 34 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1650, 1654, 1695, 1714, 1715 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Tuel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tuel Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Tuel has occasionally been spelled Tew, Tews, Tewell, Tewel, Tuel, Tuell and others.

Early Notables of the Tuel family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Tew of Cardigan; Henry Tew (1654-1718), early American 16th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (1714-1715); and Thomas Tew (c. 1650-1695), American pirate who gained notoriety in the Red Sea...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tuel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tuel Ranking

In the United States, the name Tuel is the 15,962nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Ireland Migration of the Tuel family to Ireland

Some of the Tuel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tuel migration to the United States +

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in search of land, work, and freedom. These immigrants greatly contributed to the rapid development of the new nations of Canada and the United States. They also added a rich and lasting cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Tuel:

Tuel Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Tuel, who arrived in Boston in 1822
  • John Tuel, aged 30, who arrived in America in 1822 [2]

Australia Tuel migration to Australia +

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

Tuel Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Tuel, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 25th January 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Tuel (post 1700) +

  • Laurent Tuel (b. 1966), French film actor, director and writer


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian


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