Show ContentsTullie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Irish surname Tullie begins was originally the Gaelic MacTuile, Ó Maoltuile, or Mac Maoltuile. "tuile" means "flood," and the names Tully and Flood were at one time interchangeable in Ireland. 1

However, some of the Gaelic names that have become "flood" may have been mistranslations, and that contained the Gaelic "toile," meaning "toil," or "will." In Ulster, Floyd has sometimes been used as a spelling variant of Flood; however, Floyd is normally a cognate of the Welsh name Lloyd, derived from the word 'llwyd,' which means ‘grey.’

Early Origins of the Tullie family

The surname Tullie was first found in Connacht, where they could be found since ancient times, and were hereditary physicians to the O'Connors of Galway.

Early History of the Tullie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tullie research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1572, 1574, 1589, 1592, 1593, 1603, 1620, 1637, 1641, 1648, 1649, 1660, 1675 and 1676 are included under the topic Early Tullie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tullie Spelling Variations

A name was often recorded during the Middle Ages under several different spelling variations during the life of its bearer because literacy was rare there was no real push to clearly define any of the languages found in the British Isles at that time. Variations found of the name Tullie include Flood, Floyd, Floode, Floyde, Tully, MacTully,Talley, Tally and many more.

Early Notables of the Tullie family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Thomas Tully (1620-1676), an English clergyman of Calvinist views. He was born in St. Mary's parish, Carlisle and was son of George Tully. "After the Restoration he was created D.D. on 9 Nov. 1660, and nominated one of the Royal Chaplains in Ordinary, and in April 1675 was appointed Dean of Ripon. " 2Edward Floyd, Floud or LLoyd (d. 1648?), was a Catholic barrister who became steward in Shropshire to Lord-Chancellor Ellesmere and the Earl of Suffolk. 2Henry Floyd (1563-1641), was an English Jesuit, elder brother of Father John Floyd, born in...
Another 120 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tullie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tullie migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Tullie family came to North America quite early:

Tullie Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Jo Tullie, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas" 3


The Tullie Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Vis unita fortior
Motto Translation: Strength united is the more powerful.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook