Show ContentsTwombly History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Twombly is one of the many new names that came to England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Twombly family lived in Cheshire, at Twemlow.

Early Origins of the Twombly family

The surname Twombly was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times as Lords of the manor of Hatherton in that shire. Conjecturally they are descended from William Malbank who was holder of the village of Hatherton at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086, a census initiated by William the Conqueror after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Twombly family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Twombly research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1700 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Twombly History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Twombly Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Twemloe, Twemlow, Twemlowe, Twamley and others.

Early Notables of the Twombly family

More information is included under the topic Early Twombly Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Twombly Ranking

In the United States, the name Twombly is the 9,492nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Twombly family to Ireland

Some of the Twombly family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Twombly migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Twombly or a variant listed above were:

Twombly Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ralph Twombly, who landed in New Hampshire in 1656 2
Twombly Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry E. Twombly, aged 47, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
  • Mrs. Twombly, aged 37, who settled in America from London, in 1894
  • H.Mc.K. Twombly, aged 44, who landed in America from London, in 1894
  • Mr. Twombly, aged 41, who landed in America, in 1895
Twombly Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Arthur Butler Twombly, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
  • E. J. Twombly, aged 34, who landed in America, in 1903
  • Ruth Twombly, who landed in America, in 1904
  • Ruth Vanderbilt Twombly, aged 15, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
  • Florence Adele Twombly, aged 39, who immigrated to America, in 1907

Contemporary Notables of the name Twombly (post 1700) +

  • Hamilton McKown Twombly (1849-1910), American businessman, a graduate from Harvard University in 1871, he was financial advisor to William Henry Vanderbilt, he sat on the Boards of Directors of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, owner of the Vinland Estate, Newport, Rhode Island
  • Cy Twombly (1928-2011), American abstract artist
  • Carol Twombly (b. 1959), American calligrapher and typeface designer, known for her typefaces: Trajan, Myriad and Adobe Caslon
  • Royal T. Twombly, American politician, Mayor of Niles, Michigan, 1877 3
  • John F. Twombly, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 13th District, 1914 3
  • Guy Twombly, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1940, 1948 3
  • Gilman H. Twombly, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New Hampshire State Senate 21st District, 1948 3
  • Frank Twombly Hubbard (1920-1976), American harpsichord maker


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook