Tuff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The surname Tuff is a local name "from the parish of Tough (Gaelic tulach, a knoll), near Alford, Aberdeenshire. The "ch" and "gh" have the guttural pronunciation of "ch" in "loch." In a roll of missing charters of David II is one to Isabel Toulch, sister to Henry Toulch, of the lands of Toulch in the sheriffdom of Abirdene " 1
Further to the south in England, the name could have been derived from the Old French word touche, meaning thicket, and indicates that the original bearer lived near a thicket. 2 Alternatively, the name could have been a nickname for someone who was "sturdy; capable of endurance." 3 4
Early Origins of the Tuff family
The surname Tuff was first found in Aberdeenshire. "Sande Towcht in Aberdeen was ordered in 1538 to find caution for "strubbling" others. Sir James Toucht was a notary in Fife, 1549, Thomas Tucht was keeper of the inner door of Exchequer in 1561, one Touch is recorded as burgess of Dysart in 1508, and Jonn Towichte was a "baixter" in Aberdeen in 1581." 1
In England, Cheshire was the home to many of the family. Here they claim descent from Joslin de Touche, who was granted lands by King William, the Duke of Normandy, after the Conquest. The Touches were Lords of Audley, the Earls of Castlehaven. It is generally thought that by the 14th century, many of these Norman nobles moved north to Scotland and were granted land by King David of Scotland.
Some remained in England as in Kent, we found Nicholas le Toghe in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 and Alicia la Towe in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in the same year. 4
Early History of the Tuff family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tuff research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1361, 1549, 1561, 1611, 1653 and 1748 are included under the topic Early Tuff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Tuff Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Touch, Toulch, Tough, Tuff, Tuf, Toucht and others.
Early Notables of the Tuff family
More information is included under the topic Early Tuff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Tuff Ranking
In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Tuff is the 799th most popular surname with an estimated 51 people with that name. 5
Tuff migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Tuff Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- H Tuff, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
Tuff migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Tuff Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- William Tuff, who settled in Western Bay, Newfoundland, in 1794 7
Tuff Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Captain George Tuff from Dorset died in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1835 7
- John Tuff was a schoolmaster of Catalina, Newfoundland, in 1839 7
Tuff migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Tuff Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Jame Tuff, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "The Stebonheath" in 1850 8
Contemporary Notables of the name Tuff (post 1700) +
- Tony Tuff (1955-2024), born as Winston Anthony Morris, was a Jamaican reggae singer and a member of The African Brothers
- Stein Henrik Tuff (b. 1974), Norwegian former ski jumper a the 1994 Winter Olympics
- William Tuff Whiteway (1856-1940), Newfoundland architect from Musgrave Harbour, best known for his work in the early 1900s in Vancouver
Historic Events for the Tuff family +
- Mr. George Tuff (b. 1881), Newfoundlander from Templeman, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived
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)
- The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
- 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)
- Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The STEBONHEATH 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Stebonheath.htm