Turnbow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

According to family tradition, the Turnbow surname comes from when a member of the Rule family saved the life of King Robert the Bruce at Stirling Park from a charging bull by turning the bull's head. The grateful King decreed that in commemoration of the brave act the new name of the family would be Turnbull, and granted them an area of land then known as Bedrule. 1 Other Etymology suggests that the name comes from the Old English Trumbald, meaning "strongly bold." 2

Early Origins of the Turnbow family

The surname Turnbow was first found in Yorkshire at Wakefield where Alan Tumbald was recorded in 1313. Three years later in 1316, the Thrumball spelling was used. Peter Thrumbald was listed there in 1315 and Reginald Thrumbald was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. Alice Thrumbald, Trumbald was listed at Wakefield (1316-1317) and much later the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk included an entry for Elizabeth Trumble in 1568. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379 included an entry for Johannes Turnebull. 3

Early History of the Turnbow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turnbow research. Another 272 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1249, 1296, 1335, 1447, 1635, 1639, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Turnbow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turnbow Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Turnbull, Turnball, Trimble, Trimbell, Trumbell, Trumbill, Turnbul and many more.

Early Notables of the Turnbow family

Another 48 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Turnbow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turnbow Ranking

In the United States, the name Turnbow is the 6,998^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Turnbow family to Ireland

Some of the Turnbow family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turnbow migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Turnbow Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

W.F. Turnbow, who arrived in New York in 1905 aboard the ship "Saint Paul" from Southampton, England 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Turnbow (post 1700) +

Hartman Turnbow (1905-1988), American farmer and activist during the Civil Rights Movement, the first African American to register to vote in the state of Mississippi in the 1960s
Guy Nicholson Turnbow (1908-1975), American football tackle who played for the Philadelphia Eagles (1933–1934)
Donna Jean Turnbow (b. 1961), American gymnast, US all-around national champion in 1977
Holice Edward Turnbow (b. 1930), American quilter, artist, and textile judge
Thomas Derrick Turnbow (b. 1978), American former right-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Anaheim Angels and Milwaukee Brewers

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result