Teale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The earliest origins of the family name Teale date back to the Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name given to a person who was referred to as the teal. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans. In this case the surname Teale refers to an individual who resembled a water-bird or duck in some way. 1 2

Early Origins of the Teale family

The surname Teale was first found in Nottinghamshire where Ralph Tele was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1201. Later, Robert Tele was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275 and German le Tele was recorded in the Subisdy Rolls for Essex in 1327. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family, both found in Cambridgeshire: Matilda Tele; and Martin Tele. 4

In Somerset, John Teel was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

Early History of the Teale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Teale research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1192, 1720, 1749, 1790, 1800, 1833, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Teale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Teale Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Teale include Teale, Teal and others.

Early Notables of the Teale family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Pridgin Teale FRS (1800-1867), the British eminent surgeon, elected a Fellow of the Royal Society on 5 June 1862...
His father Thomas Teale and his son Thomas Pridgin Teale were also surgeons from Leeds...

Teale migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Teale Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Weyan Teale, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Molley John Hodgeson" 6

Teale Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

D. Teale, who arrived in New York in 1823

Contemporary Notables of the name Teale (post 1700) +

Theodore C. Teale, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 17th District, 1890
Stephen P. Teale (b. 1916), American Democratic Party politician, Physician; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1956, 1960 (alternate), 1964; Member of California State Senate, 1958-66
James Teale, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972
Edwin Way Teale (1899-1980), American naturalist, photographer, and Pulitzer Prize-winning (1966) writer
Shaun Teale (b. 1964), English former footballer and manager who played from 1988 to 2004 and managed from 2002 to 2006
Owen Nigel Courtney Teale (b. 1961), Welsh Tony award winning actor
Leonard Teale AO (1922-1994), born Leonard George Thiele, Australian radio, television and film actor
Admiral Godfrey Teale, Chief Staff Officer
Gary Teale (b. 1978), Scottish footballer

The Teale Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fideliter
Motto Translation: Faithfully.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
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)