The Titmuss 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.
The surname Titmuss 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Titmuss research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1651, and 1662 are included under the topic Early Titmuss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations of this family name include: Titmas, Titmus, Titmuss, Tytemose, Titmouse and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Titmuss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Francis Titmouse, who came to Maryland in 1756; William Titmus, a convict sent to Virginia in 1765; and Simeon Titmouse, who arrived in Canada in 1832..