Show ContentsTindale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Tindale originated in or near Tynedale, the valley of the river Tyne, or in a place called Tindale, in Cumberland. Tindale is a local surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. There are a variety of types of local surnames, some of which include: topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. In this case, the surname Tindale derived from the Celtic word tina, which means to flow. This was commonly adopted as a river name. The second component of the surname comes from the Old English word dæl, which means valley. Thus, the surname Tindale referred to one who lived in the valley of the river named Tyne. The earliest records of this surname indicated that members of the Tindale family resided in Northumberland, along the banks of the River Tyne.

Early Origins of the Tindale family

The surname Tindale was first found in Northumberland, where Tindale is an extensive ward or district which includes the Dale of Tyne. "The great Border family so called had their chief seat at Langley, near Haydon Bridge, and were styled in charters of temp. Henry II." 1

Langley Castle originally held by the Barons of Tynedale and from them descend the Tyndall family. The parish of Warden in Northumberland was home to another branch of the family. "The manor and church, in 1298, belonged to the monks of Hexham, to whom they had been granted, according to the record, 'from a time beyond all memory,' by Adam de Tyndale." 2

We found two people name Adam de Tyndale in our search. The first was born in 1155 and died in 1192 and his son was born in 1185 and died in 1233. One of these gentlemen is also believed to have founded a Benedictine nunnery, dedicated to God, St. Mary, and St. Patrick in Lambley, Northumberland. Another early record of the family was Adam de Tindal who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Northumberland in 1165. 3

This record is believed to be of Adam de Tyndale Sr. William de Tyndale was also listed in Northumberland during the reign of Edward I. Thomas deo Tyndale was listed in 1317 and a few years later, William de Tyndale was listed in 1357.

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Robertus de Tyndale in 1379. 4

Early History of the Tindale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tindale research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1200, 1208, 1279, 1296, 1494, 1536, 1586, 1657, 1659, 1687, 1733, 1774, 1776, 1800, 1826, 1827 and 1846 are included under the topic Early Tindale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tindale Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tindall, Tindell, Tindale, Tindal, Tyndale, Tindale, Tyndell and many more.

Early Notables of the Tindale family

Notable among the family at this time was William Tyndale (c.1494-1536), Protestant reformer and scholar who is best known for his Tyndale Bible, eponym of the Tyndale Monument, North Nibley, Gloucestershire; Dr. Matthew Tindal, (1657-1733), an eminent English deist author; and his nephew, Nicolas Tindal (1687-1774), the English translator and continuer of the History of England by Paul de Rapin...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tindale Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Tindale family to Ireland

Some of the Tindale family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tindale migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tindale Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Tindale, who landed in Virginia in 1714 5

New Zealand Tindale migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tindale Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • R. Tindale, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Viscount Canning" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Tindale (post 1700) +

  • Vere Tindale (d. 2016), American actor, known for Sonskyn Beperk, Voyeur (2015) and Dominion (2014)
  • Timothy Scott Tindale (b. 1971), former American football running back for the Buffalo Bills (1994-1997)
  • R. M. Tindale, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Mississippi, 1868 (member, Committee on Permanent Organization)
  • Frank C. Tindale, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut Republican State Central Committee, 1940
  • Mr. Alan Patrick Tindale M.B.E. (b. 1967), British Major for The Royal Logistic Corps, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 6
  • Stephen Tindale (1963-2017), British environmentalist, Executive Director of Greenpeace in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2005
  • Norman Barnett Tindale AO (1900-1993), Australian anthropologist, archaeologist, entomologist and ethnologist
  • Mary Douglas Tindale (1920-2011), Australian botanist, Australian Botanical Liaison Officer at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1949-1951


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  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. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. 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)
  6. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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