Tapscott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Tapscott

What does the name Tapscott mean?

Tapscott is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Tapscott family lived as a "dweller in front of, or opposite, the cottage, or in the cottage in the dale." 1

Early Origins of the Tapscott family

The surname Tapscott was first found in Lancashire at Tulket(h), on the Ribble near Preston. 2 Tulketh Priory was a priory in Ashton-on-Ribble, Lancashire. The priory was the home of a group of Cistercian monks from Savigny Abbey in Normandy until they moved to Furness Abbey in 1127. Tulketh Hall was later built on the site of the priory.

Alternatively the name could have originated at Holecote, Ullcote, Northamptonshire where "Philip de Ulecot and Hugh de Bailiol, in 1216, sided with King John against his brother Richard." 2

A very rare name that is predominately found in the United States today, people with the name "Talkatt, Tallcot, Taylcote, Taylcott, were living at Braintree, Essex, in 1623. 2

Sebastian Visscher Talcott (1812-?) wrote a book entitled "Talcott pedigree in England and America from 1558 to 1876." published in 1876 and is currently held by the Library of Congress CS71.T142.) John Phythian Tylecote wrote a book "How American Talcott and English Tylecote & Tylcoat families are the same" in 1998.

Early History of the Tapscott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tapscott research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1083, 1510, 1600, 1669, 1693, 1704, 1724 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Tapscott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tapscott Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Talcott, Talcot, Tallcott, Tallcot and others.

Early Notables of the Tapscott family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Lieutenant-Colonel John Wakeman Talcott; and his son, Joseph Talcott (1669-1741), American politician, the 27th Governor of the Connecticut Colony from 1724 until his death in 1741. Joseph...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tapscott Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tapscott Ranking

In the United States, the name Tapscott is the 14,169^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Tapscott migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Tapscott or a variant listed above:

Tapscott Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Tapscott, who landed in Maryland in 1666 4

Tapscott Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Taylor Tapscott, who arrived in New York in 1844 4
Jane Tapscott, who landed in New York, NY in 1846 4

Tapscott migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tapscott Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Tapscott, English convict who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Earl Grey" on 4th October 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Samuel Tapscott, aged 33, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" 6
Samuel Tapscott, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Edward Parry" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Tapscott (post 1700) +

Horace Elva Tapscott (1934-1999), American jazz pianist and composer from Houston, Texas
John E. Tapscott (1930-2017), American politician, Member of the Iowa State Senate (1971-1973), Member of the Iowa House of Representatives (1967-1971)
John Windsor Tapscott (d. 1879), American politician, Member of North Carolina House of Commons from Alamance County, 1860 7
Ed Tapscott, the former interim head coach of the NBA's Washington Wizards
Luke Tapscott (b. 1991), Australian rules footballer for the Melbourne Football Club
Lionel Tapscott (b. 1894), South African cricketer who played in 2 Tests in 1923
George Tapscott (b. 1889), South African cricketer who played in one Test in 1913
Derek Tapscott (1932-2008), Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international
Alex Tapscott (b. 1986), Canadian business author, and advisor, son of Don Tapscott
Don Tapscott (b. 1947), Canadian business executive, author, consultant and speaker, CEO of The Tapscott Group, Chancellor of Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-gray
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The SIR EDWARD PARRY 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849SirEdwardParry.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html