Titmus History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Titmus

What does the name Titmus mean?

The Titmus surname is thought to derive from the name of an English bird called a titmose or tit-mouse; as such, the name was likely originally a nickname for someone thought to resemble this bird.

Early Origins of the Titmus family

The surname Titmus was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat on the English/Scottish border. After the Norman Conquest of England many of Duke William's rebellious Barons moved north. The border became a convenient no-man's land. Notable families such as the Percy, the Umfravilles and the Nevilles gathered many supporting clans around them. In the 16th century they became known as the 'unruly clans'. In that century, many of those clans drove their herds south, and they settled in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name was first recorded in Kirkham.

Early History of the Titmus family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Titmus research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1651 and 1662 are included under the topic Early Titmus History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Titmus Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Titmas, Titmus, Titmuss, Tytemose, Titmouse and many more.

Early Notables of the Titmus family

the Titmus family of Lancashire

Titmus migration to the United States +

Titmus Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Titmus, a convict sent to Virginia in 1765
William Titmus, who landed in America in 1765 1

Titmus migration to Australia +

Titmus Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Titmus, British Convict who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2
Joseph Titmus, British convict from Gibraltar, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on April 16, 1855, settling in Western Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Titmus (post 1700) +

Frederick John Titmus MBE (1932-2011), English first-class cricketer; he took 2,500 wickets and made 20,000 runs in first class cricket
Ariarne Titmus (b. 2000), Australian swimmer who won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, two time gold medalist at the 2020 Summer Olympics, and gold and silver medalist at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Steve Titmus, Tasmanian journalist/news presenter

Sources +

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1855 with 261 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1855