Tuells History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Germany
• Wales
• Ireland

Etymology of Tuells

The name Tuells can be traced to the ancient Celtic culture of Wales. The surname Tuells 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 Tuells family

Early History of the Tuells family

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

Tuells 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 Tuells have included Tew, Tews, Tewell, Tewel, Tuel, Tuell and others.

Early Notables of the Tuells family

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, in the Caribbean, and in Africa where he was involved...
Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tuells Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tuells family to Ireland

Some of the Tuells 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.

Migration of the Tuells family

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 Tuells: Richard Tew, who settled in Newport R.I. in 1641; John Tew, who came to Virginia in 1650; Charles Tew, who came to Maryland in 1760; William Tewell was on record in St. Mary’s County, Maryland in 1714.