Teasley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Teasley family

The surname Teasley was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Taselaar, held by William de Taissel, a Norman noble from Tessel in the canton of Tilly in Normandy who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Teasley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Teasley research. Another 59 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1086 is included under the topic Early Teasley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teasley Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Teasley were recorded, including Tessel, Tesselar, Tezelaar, Teasle, Teasler, Teasley, Tesler, Tessler, Tesslar and many more.

Early Notables of the Teasley family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Teasley family of Essex

Teasley Ranking

In the United States, the name Teasley is the 7,714^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Teasley family

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Teasley arrived in North America very early: settlers were recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Florida, and to the islands..

Contemporary Notables of the name Teasley (post 1700) +

Sam Teasley, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 2008
Mary Elizabeth Teasley, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1996
Jane Teasley, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 2008
Cynthia Teasley, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Georgia, 2000
Ellendea Proffer Teasley (b. 1944), American author, publisher, and translator of Russian literature
Jerome Teasley (b. 1948), American soul drummer and member of the Motown Hall of Fame
Brian Teasley, American musician
Nikki Teasley (b. 1979), American basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/