Tougher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestry of the name Tougher can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a name for a fuller, whose job it was to scour and thicken raw cloth by beating it and trampling it in water having derived from the Old English word tucian, which originally meant to torment and later gained the meaning to tuck or to full. 1 Occasionally, the name Tougher was a nickname surname given to a courageous person.

Early Origins of the Tougher family

The surname Tougher was first found in Devon. "Tucker is a very characteristic west of England name. Its great home is in Devonshire, and it is especially numerous in the Barnstaple district. It is also found in numbers in Somerset, and occurs too, but much less frequently, in Cornwall, Dorset, Hants, and Wilts. Tucker was the west of England name for a fuller. " 2

As to agree with aforementioned, another source notes: "Tucker is still a great West country surname, being very strongly represented in Devon, Wiltshire, and Dorset. " 3

The earliest record found for the family was Roger le Tukere, who was listed in the Hundredorum, Rolls for Dorset in 1273. 3

Early History of the Tougher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tougher research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1557, 1558, 1565, 1590, 1592, 1601, 1614, 1621, 1623, 1625, 1654, 1664, 1676 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Tougher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tougher Spelling Variations

Tougher has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Tougher have been found, including Tucker, Tooker, Toker, Tokker and others.

Early Notables of the Tougher family

Notables of the family at this time include William Tucker or Tooker (1558?-1621), English divine, born at Exeter in 1557 or 1558, the third son of William Tooker of that town. In 1590 he became rector of Clovelly in Devonshire, but resigned the charge in 1601. 4Giles Tooker (c 1565-1623), was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tougher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tougher family to Ireland

Some of the Tougher family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tougher migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Toughers to arrive on North American shores:

Tougher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Tougher, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856

Tougher migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tougher Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Philip Tougher, whose death was recorded at Grosse Isle, Quebec in 1847
Mr. Hugh Tougher, aged 50 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 5
Mr. Philip Tougher, aged 70 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Yorkshire Lass" departing from the port of Killala, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 5

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 58)