Show ContentsThwaite History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Thwaite is thought to have emerged in the border region between North England and Scotland. It is derived from the Old Norse "pveit," meaning "meadow, piece of land." Thus, the name originally referred to a "dweller at the meadow." 1

Early Origins of the Thwaite family

The surname Thwaite was first found in Norfolk at Thwaite, a parish in the union of Aylsham, hundred of South Erpingham. There is another parish named Thwaite in the union of Loddon and Clavering, hundred of Loddon in Norfolk. Over in Suffolk, Thwaite is a parish, in the union and hundred of Hartismer and further to the north, Thwaites is a chapelry, in the parish of Millom, union of Bootle, Allerdale ward above Derwent, W. division of Cumberland. 2

The earliest known record of the family was Ralph del Thweit, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls for 1206. Ralph de Tweit was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Norfolk in 1221 and later, Alan del Thweit was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. 3

The name later emerged in the northern county of Yorkshire, borne by a notable family.

Early History of the Thwaite family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thwaite research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1301, 1379, 1435, 1441, 1445, 1446, 1453, 1471, 1478, 1483, 1490, 1493, 1503, 1638, 1723, 1740, 1797 and 1824 are included under the topic Early Thwaite History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thwaite Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Thwaites, Thwaits, Thwaite, Thweat, Thweatt, Thwaytes, Twaite, Twaites, Twaits, Tweats, Thoytes, Thwayte, Threet, Threat and many more.

Early Notables of the Thwaite family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was

  • Sir Thomas Thwaites (c.1435-1503), Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1471 to 1483, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1478 to 1483, and Treasurer of Calais from 1483 to 1490, was knighted in 148...
  • Francis Thwaites (1638-1723), a British priest
  • Captain Joseph Thwaites (d. 1797), a pirate


United States Thwaite migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Thwaite Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Robert Thwaite, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1765

Australia Thwaite migration to Australia +

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

Thwaite Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Thwaite, (b. 1820), aged 22, English wool comber who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

West Indies Thwaite migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Thwaite Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • James Thwaite, who settled in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Thwaite (post 1700) +

  • Michael Errol Thwaite (b. 1983), Australian former footballer
  • Mark Gemini Thwaite (b. 1965), also known as MGT, a British musician and guitarist
  • Bruce Oliver Thwaite (1923-1991), Australian Paralympic gold medalist competitor
  • Anthony Simon Thwaite (1930-2021), English poet and critic, widely known as the editor of Philip Larkin's collected poems and letters
  • Ann Thwaite (b. 1932), British writer, best known as a biographer


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


Houseofnames.com on Facebook