| ![Show Contents]() Tuffnell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
England
Etymology of TuffnellWhat does the name Tuffnell mean? Tuffnell is an ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Tuffnell family lived in Essex, at Tufnell. Early Origins of the Tuffnell familyThe surname Tuffnell 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 Tuffnell familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tuffnell research. Another 175 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1580, 1640, 1820, 1823 and 1924 are included under the topic Early Tuffnell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Tuffnell Spelling VariationsEndless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Tuffnel, Tuffnell, Tuffnall, Tuffnal, Toughnell, Toughnall, Toughnel, Toffnel, Toffnall, Tufnaile and many more. Early Notables of the Tuffnell familyMore information is included under the topic Early Tuffnell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Tuffnell migration to the United States | + |
To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Tuffnell or a variant listed above:
Tuffnell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Tuffnell, who landed in Virginia in 1650 2
Tuffnell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- James Tuffnell, who landed in North America in 1775
Tuffnell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- James Tuffnell, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 2
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- 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)
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