Show ContentsThorowgood History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the name Thorowgood are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the baptismal name Thurgod, an ancient font name. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The earliest surnames in England were found shortly after the Norman Conquest and are of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Thorowgood family

The surname Thorowgood was first found in Hertfordshire where they were descended from Turgod, "a Domesday [Book] baptismal appellation" [1] and the name has often been confounded with Toogood.

Early History of the Thorowgood family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thorowgood research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1647, 1660, 1667, 1669, 1683, 1700, 1715 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Thorowgood History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thorowgood Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Thorowgood has been spelled many different ways, including Thoroughgood, Throwgrood, Thorowgood, Thorogood, Toogood and many more.

Early Notables of the Thorowgood family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Sir John Thorowgood; and Richard Towgood (1595?-1683), an English Royalist clerygman, Dean of Bristol (1667-1683.)


United States Thorowgood migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Thorowgoods to arrive in North America:

Thorowgood Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Thorowgood, who settled in Virginia in 1620
  • Adam Thorowgood, who landed in Virginia in 1621 [2]
  • Mr. Cyprian Thorowgood, (b. 1606), who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" [3]
  • John Thorowgood, who settled in Virginia in 1650
  • Elinor Thorowgood, who landed in Virginia in 1651 [2]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. 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)
  3. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm


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