Show ContentsTattan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Tattan name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the township of Tatton found in the parish of Rostherne in the county of Cheshire. The surname Tattan is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel.

Early Origins of the Tattan family

The surname Tattan was first found in Cheshire at Tatton, a small civil parish now in the Borough of Cheshire East. "Robert Tatton of Kenworthy, in Northended, who married the heiress of William de Withenshaw, alias Massy, about the latter end of the reign of Edward III, is the first proved ancestor of this family, but there is reason to believe that he was descended from the much more ancient house of the name who were seated at Tatton in the twelve century. " [1]

Tatton Park is a historic estate just north of the town of Knutsford and is home to Tatton Hall and Tatton Old Hall, a manor house which dates back to the 16th century. "The manor passed with Etchells, in Northen parish, and became the property of the Tatton family." [2]

Early History of the Tattan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tattan research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1606, 1643, 1645, 1646, 1659, 1669, 1736 and 1809 are included under the topic Early Tattan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tattan Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Tattan has undergone many spelling variations, including Tatton, Tatten, Tattin, Tattone, Tattan, Taton, Taten, Tayton, Taytton, Taitten, Teyton, Teitton, Tetton, Tettin, Tetten, Tettan, Taytone, Teytone, Tattons, Tattens, Tattins, Tattans, Teytons and many more.

Early Notables of the Tattan family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Robert Tatton (1606-1669), High Sheriff of Chester between 1645 and 1646, a supporter of King Charles I in the English Civil War, Robert is perhaps best known for the ultimately unsuccessful defence of...
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tattan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tattan family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Tattan were among those contributors: Molly Tatton settled in New York State in 1849; Joseph Tatton settled in New England in 1646.


Contemporary Notables of the name Tattan (post 1700) +

  • Oliver Tattan, Irish CEO of Hibernian Health


  1. Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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