Tassel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Belgium
England

The surname Tassel is thought have originated in Normandy, France where some of the family were part of the invading force during the Norman Conquest. The Domesday Book lists Wymond de Taissel in Bedfordshire in 1080. 1

But some of the family remained in Normandy as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae lists Richard Tosel or Tossel and Ralph Tossel in Normandy 1180-1195. The same source lists Adeliza, William, Walter de Taissel or Tessel, and the parish of St. German de Tassel, Norm. 1180-1195. 2

Alternatively the name could have been a nickname "from the Hawk [Middle English tassel (l for earlier tercel, Old French t(i)ercel, male hawk; from (with diminutive suff. -el) Old French tierce, tiers, Latin tertius, third]." 3 4

Another source notes that Tessall, Worcestershire may be a source of the name, 5 but this place seems to now be a lost village.

Early Origins of the Tassel family

The surname Tassel was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), where Willmund de Taissel was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. Years later, William Tasseli was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Sussex in 1206 and Bartholomew Tassel in the Feet of Fines for Surrey 1288-1289. 4

Early History of the Tassel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tassel research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1548 and 1585 are included under the topic Early Tassel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tassel 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 Tassell, Tassel, Taisel, Taisell, Tasell, Tassle and others.

Early Notables of the Tassel family

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

Tassel Ranking

In France, the name Tassel is the 2,824^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Tassel 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 Tassel or a variant listed above were: Robert Tassell, who came to Virginia in 1635; John Tassell, who settled in Maryland in 1673; William Tassell, who settled in Maryland in 1673; and George Tassell, who settled in Maryland in 1718..

Contemporary Notables of the name Tassel (post 1700) +

JoAnn Van Tassel, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 62nd District, 1966 7
George Van Tassel, American politician, Mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 1957-60 7

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html