Show ContentsTewes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Tewes can be traced to the ancient Celtic culture of Wales. The surname Tewes is derived from the Welsh word "tew," which means "portly" or "plump," and was most likely originally a nickname for a heavy-set person.

Early Origins of the Tewes family

The surname Tewes was first found in Cardiganshire (Welsh: Sir Aberteifi), the former Kingdom of Ceredigion, created as a county in 1282 by Edward I, and located on the West coast of Wales, where they held a family seat anciently. Traditionally they claim descent from Rhodri Mawr, the first great King of Wales through Lord Rhys, Prince of South Wales. Gwenllian, daughter of John Tew married Dafydd Llywellyn Lloyd of Castle Howel, first knight of the shire for Cardiganshire.

Early History of the Tewes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tewes research. Another 34 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1650, 1654, 1695, 1714, 1715 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Tewes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tewes Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Tewes have included Tew, Tews, Tewell, Tewel, Tuel, Tuell and others.

Early Notables of the Tewes family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Tew of Cardigan; Henry Tew (1654-1718), early American 16th Deputy Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (1714-1715); and Thomas Tew (c. 1650-1695), American pirate who gained notoriety in the Red Sea...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tewes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Tewes family to Ireland

Some of the Tewes family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tewes migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Tewes:

Tewes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William C C Tewes, aged 23, who landed in Missouri in 1839 [1]
  • Josepha Tewes, who arrived in America in 1844 [1]
  • Mr. Ludwig Tewes, aged 18, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Colchis"

Contemporary Notables of the name Tewes (post 1700) +

  • Donald Edgar Tewes (1916-2012), American businessman and politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin (1957-1959)
  • Lauren Tewes (b. 1953), born Cynthia Lauren Tewes, an American Golden Globe nominated actress, best known for her role as Julie McCoy on The Love Boat (1977-1987)
  • Karl Tewes (1886-1968), German international footballer
  • Stefan Tewes (b. 1967), German gold medalist field hockey defender at the 1992 Summer Olympics, brother of Jan-Peter Tewes
  • Jan-Peter Tewes (b. 1968), German gold medalist field hockey defender at the 1992 Summer Olympics


  1. 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)


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