Show ContentsTaskey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Taskey comes from the Middle English "taske" from the Latin "taxare" meaning "to appraise." Like most Latin based words in English, it was introduced by the Normans. It came to be used as a surname to denote an appraiser, and later it came to mean one who performed a specific task, like threshing or reaping. Another source claims the word "tasker" was given to a labourer who received his wages in kind for a certain task and yet another claims the name was a trade name for a thrasher or a reaper. 1

Early Origins of the Taskey family

The surname Taskey was first found in Essex, where Taske appears in records of 1185. John le Tasker was listed in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1279 and in the same year, Benedict le Taskur was listed in the Rotuli Hundredorum. 2

Early History of the Taskey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Taskey research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1279, 1307, 1379, 1690, 1752, 1753 and 1768 are included under the topic Early Taskey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Taskey Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Taske, Tasker, Taskur, Task and others.

Early Notables of the Taskey family

Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Taskey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Taskey family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Taskey name or one of its variants: Dinah Tasker, who immigrated to Barbados in 1659; Thomas Tasker, who was sent to a plantation in Virginia in 1668; Thomas Tasker and John Tasker, who settled in Maryland in 1673 and 1674.



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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