Tuffs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the Tuffs surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the parish of Toft in the county of Norfolk. This place-name was originally derived from the Old Norman word Topt which was used to denote those who lived in the trees or forest. 1

Toft is also "a township in the parish of Knutsford, Cheshire and is the parent of the Cheshire Tofts." 2

The Domesday Book of 1086 has a variety of spellings for the various parishes: Toft, Cambridgeshire, Tofth; Toft Minks, Norfolk, Toft; and West Tofts, Norfolk, Toftes. 3

"The name of Tofts is now best represented in the district of Bishop's Stortford [Hertfordshire]. Tofts is a Norfolk parish, and De Toftes was a Norfolk surname in the 13th century (H. R.). Two parishes in Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire are called Toft." 4

Early Origins of the Tuffs family

The surname Tuffs was first found in Northumberland where Elyas del Toft was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1197. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 proved the widespread use of the name at that time: Gundreda de Toftes, Norfolk; Eborard de Toft, Norfolk; Alan de Toft, Cambridgeshire; and Robert de Toft, Bedfordshire. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Johannes Attn toftes et uxor and later, Hugh de Toft was recorded in East Cheshire in 1394. 2 The Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk included a listing of Gilbert de Toftes in 1327. John de Taft was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1340. 5

By the 12th century they had moved north and acquired the old lands and barony which they called Tofts in the parish of Kirkton in Roxburghshire, Scotland. Ingram de Toftes, Robert de Toftes, and William de Toftes all rendered homage in 1296 to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland. William of Toftys was Rector of the church at Great Cauerys (Cavers) in 1363. 6

Early History of the Tuffs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tuffs research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1499, 1580, 1605, 1620, 1637, 1640, 1641, 1669, 1675, 1680, 1689, 1698, 1708, 1725, 1750 and 1758 are included under the topic Early Tuffs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tuffs Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Tuffs include Taft, Tafte, Toft, Tofte, Tofts, Tuffs and others.

Early Notables of the Tuffs family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert Toft (d. 1620), English poet and translator, a 'gentleman' who travelled in France and Italy. Robert Taft Sr. (c. 1640-1725) was the first US Taft and founder of the US Taft Family. Some sources claim he emigrated to the United States in 1675 arriving at Braintree in Massachusetts and others claim he arrived at Mendon in 1669. The Taft homestead was in Mendon but some of his children were born in Braintree. William Howard...
Another 83 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tuffs Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tuffs migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Tuffs Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sophia Tuffs, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 7

Tuffs migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tuffs Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Gerchon Tuffs, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)