Tarrants History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England
• Ireland

Etymology of Tarrants

The name Tarrants first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Dorset at one of the eight places that have the prefix Tarrant. They include: Tarrant Crawford; Tarrant Gunville; Tarrant Hinton; Tarrant Keyneston; Tarrant Launceston; Tarrant Monkton; Tarrant Rawston; and Tarrant Rushton. The place name Tarrant is derived from the "Celtic river-name possibly meaning 'the trespasser' and in 'river liable to floods." 1 All of these parishes and villages are in the Blandford union, hundred of Pimperne 2 and are collectively listed in the Domesday Book as Tarente. 3 It seems that in the 13th century the parishes either expanded or separated and accordingly a suffix was needed to distinguish them. In many cases, the suffix was used to denote the families that lived there as in: Tarrant Gunville, home to the Gundeville family; Tarrant Keyneston, home of the Cahaignes family; Tarant Launceston, home to the Lowin family; Tarrant Rawston, home to the Antioch family; and Tarrant Rushton, home to the de Rusceaus family. The one exception was Tarrant Monkton which denoted as 'estate belonging to the monks of Tewkesbury Abbey.' 1

Early Origins of the Tarrants family

Early History of the Tarrants family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tarrants research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1621, 1642, 1646 and 1784 are included under the topic Early Tarrants History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tarrants Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Tarrants has appeared include Tarrant, Tarrents, Tarrent, Tarant, Tarent, Tarrat, Tarrett and many more.

Early Notables of the Tarrants family

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

Migration of the Tarrants family to Ireland

Some of the Tarrants family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 40 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tarrants family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Tarrants arrived in North America very early: Mr. and Mrs. Francis Tarrant, who sailed to Boston, Massachusetts in 1712; Henry Tarrant to Virginia in 1731; and John Tarrant to America in 1754.