Show ContentsTarbox History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Tarbox family name to the British Isles. Tarbox comes from the ancient Norman given name Terbert.

Early Origins of the Tarbox family

The surname Tarbox was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times at Tarbock, after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were descended from the Baron Richard, brother of Sir Robert Fitzhenry, founder of Burscough Priory. " Henry de Tarbock or Torbock, who was early the lord of Tarbock, Roby, Huyton, Knowsley, and other manors, had two sons. The elder of these, Robert, was sometimes distinguished by the Norman patronymic FitzHenry, which the English rendered Harrison, and sometimes was denominated from his principal residence, de Lathom; while Richard, the other son, inheriting Tarbock, designated himself from that estate." [1]

Early History of the Tarbox family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tarbox research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1606 is included under the topic Early Tarbox History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tarbox Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Tarbock, Tarbocks, Tarbox, Tirebuck, Torbock, Tarbuck, Tarbux and many more.

Early Notables of the Tarbox family

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

Tarbox Ranking

In the United States, the name Tarbox is the 9,386th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [2]

Migration of the Tarbox family

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Tarbox or a variant listed above: Mary Tarbuck settled in Maryland in 1745; Richard Tarbutt settled in Virginia in 1663; John Tarbux settled in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1631.


Contemporary Notables of the name Tarbox (post 1700) +

  • William G. Tarbox, American politician, First Selectman of Preston, Connecticut, 1920 [3]
  • Oliver S. Tarbox, American Republican politician, Mayor of Calais, Maine, 1899-1900 [3]
  • Marie A. Tarbox, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut Republican State Central Committee, 1940 [3]
  • John Kemble Tarbox (1838-1887), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives, 1868, 1870-71; Member of Massachusetts State Senate, 1872; Mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1873-74 [3]
  • James Tarbox, American politician, Presidential Elector for Vermont, 1808, 1832 [3]
  • Henry Fish Tarbox, American Republican politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Genesee County, 1867-68; Presidential Elector for New York, 1880; Presidential Elector for New York, 1880 [3]
  • Edith Ann Tarbox (b. 1962), birth name of E. D. Hill, an American journalist and news anchor for CNN
  • Increase Niles Tarbox D.D., S.T.D. (1815-1888), American theologian and author
  • Elmer Lois Tarbox (1916-1987), American military aviator, businessman, and politician, Member of the House of Representatives of Texas (1973-977) and (1967-1973)
  • Michael Tarbox (b. 1956), American songwriter, guitarist and singer who performs with the Boston-based group The Tarbox Ramblers
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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