Show ContentsTashe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This name is derived from the Middle English phrase "at asche," meaning at, or near the ash tree.

Early Origins of the Tashe family

The surname Tashe was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. They are believed to be of the same line as the Tascher of Normandy who were elevated to the nobility in 1667 in Normandy.

Early History of the Tashe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tashe research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1599, 1680, 1718 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Tashe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tashe 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 Tash, Tache, Taque, Tashe, Tacheau, Tassh and others.

Early Notables of the Tashe family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tashe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tashe family

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 Tashe or a variant listed above were: Johann Philipp Tash, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1741 as well as James Tash, who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1867.



  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)


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