Toughnell is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Toughnell family lived in Essex, at Tufnell.
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Early Origins of the Toughnell family
The surname Toughnell was first found in Essex where they held a family seat. Little is known of the early origins of this name but the proposition that it is derived from 'tough nail' cannot be accepted and is somewhat typical of the attitude of Victorian historians at a loss to dig deeper than their own fertile imaginations. Since we believe the name to have been originally Tuffnall, the suffixes 'all' and 'ell'indicate a Norman origin and it may point to an early Norman settler about the time of the Conquest in 1066 A.D.
"In the XVII. century this name was spelt Tufnaile, and I am therefore rather inclined to take it au pied de la lettre (or rather at the end of the finger) and to consider "tough nail" as its etymon." 1
Early History of the Toughnell family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toughnell research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1640, 1820, 1823 and 1924 are included under the topic Early Toughnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Toughnell Spelling Variations
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Toughnell has been recorded under many different variations, including Tuffnel, Tuffnell, Tuffnall, Tuffnal, Toughnell, Toughnall, Toughnel, Toffnel, Toffnall, Tufnaile and many more.
Early Notables of the Toughnell family
More information is included under the topic Early Toughnell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Toughnell family
To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Toughnells were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America: John Tuffnell who settled in Virginia in 1650; James Tuffnell landed in North America in 1775; James Tuffnal landed in America in the same year.
