Show ContentsTatenhil History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Tatenhil family

The surname Tatenhil was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Tattenhall. Recorded first as Tatenale in the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name literally means "nook of land of a man called Tata," from the Old English personal name + "halh." [1] [2] By 1303, the village was known as Tatenhale [3]

Today, Tattenhall is a village and civil parish, 8 miles south-east of Chester. Tatton Hall is a country house in Tatton Park near Knutsford, Cheshire. Tettenhall is a village in within the city of Wolverhampton, now in the West Midlands and was the site of The Battle of Tettenhall where forces of Mercia and Wessex met an army of Northumbrian Vikings on 5 August 910. [4]

The parish of Tatenhill in the union of Burton-upon-Trent, N. division of the hundred of Offlow in Staffordshire may have been a possible origin of the family too. [4] [5] This Anglo-Saxon parish dates back to 942 when it was recorded as Tatenhyll and had the same etymological origin as the Cheshire parish. [1]

Early rolls give us a glimpse of the various spellings in use over the years. The Assize Rolls of Staffordshire includes an entry for Robert de Tatenhull in 1220 and later, the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk lists Roger Tathall in 1524. [5]

The source Earwaker's East Cheshire includes an entry for Thomas Tatnall, Cheshire, 1459 and the Wills at Chester lists Robert Tatnall, of Saighton, 1612. [6]

Further to the north in Scotland, the name was "an English name probably from Tattenhall in the county of Chester. About 1180 William de Tatenhill witnessed a charter by Matthew Kyninmond, Bishop of Aberdeen, and about the same date a charter was granted him by the same bishop in which Tatenhill is described as 'homini nostro'. Willelmus de Brenneth dictus Tatenel who witnessed a charter by Hugh Herock, burgess of Elgin, in 1286, is probably the William de Tattenel who rendered homage in 1296." [7]

Early History of the Tatenhil family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tatenhil research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1748 is included under the topic Early Tatenhil History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tatenhil Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Tatenhil were recorded, including Tattenhall, Tatnall, Tatnell and others.

Early Notables of the Tatenhil family

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

Migration of the Tatenhil family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Tatenhil family emigrate to North America: Thomas Tattnell settled in Maryland in 1684.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  7. 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)


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