Tottenham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Tottenham family

The surname Tottenham was first found in Middlesex, where they were Lords of the manor of Tottenham in that shire from ancient times. "This place, written in Domesday Book Toteham, and now sometimes called Tottenham High Cross, is a genteel village, consisting chiefly of one long street formed by houses irregularly arranged, on the road from London to Cambridge." 1 Literally the place name means "homestead or village of a man called Totta," from the Old English personal name + "ham." 2

Early History of the Tottenham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tottenham research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1685, 1731, 1758, 1890 and 1959 are included under the topic Early Tottenham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tottenham Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Totten, Totton, Todden, Todenham, Tottenham and others.

Early Notables of the Tottenham family

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

Migration of the Tottenham family to Ireland

Some of the Tottenham family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 280 words (20 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tottenham migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tottenham Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Bridget Tottenham, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 3
William Tottenham, who landed in Maryland in 1673 3

Tottenham migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tottenham Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Lawrence Tottenham, British Convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Tottenham (post 1700) +

Arthur Loftus Tottenham (1838-1887), Irish landowner who held over 14,000 acres, the 4th largest estate at the time, and Conservative politician in the House of Commons (1880 to 1887)
Admiral Sir Francis Loftus Tottenham KCB CBE (1880-1967), Royal Navy officer, Commander-in-Chief, Africa Station
Robert Ponsonby Tottenham (1773-1850), Irish Anglican Bishop, Bishop of Killaloe and Kilfenora, Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin, Bishop of Clogher
Charles Tottenham (1743-1823), Irish Member of Parliament
Charles Tottenham (1694-1758), Irish Member of Parliament, High Sheriff of Wexford
Sir John Tottenham, 1st Baronet
Charles Tottenham (1716-1795), Irish MP for Fethard, New Ross, Bannow and Clonmines

The Tottenham 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: Ad astra sequor
Motto Translation: I follow to the stars.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel