Turbott History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Turbott

What does the name Turbott mean?

The name Turbott was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Norman given name Terbert.

Early Origins of the Turbott family

The surname Turbott was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat. The definition that the name was derived from the name of a fish can be discounted as Victorian historians whimsical nonsense. The family held a family seat in Yorkshire and was a noble name during the time of King Richard 1st (about 1190 A.D.) and all indications are that this was a Norman name which appeared in the Domesday Book, 1 a survey of England taken by Duke William of Normandy in the year 1086 A.D., after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. and appears as Turbert, a person holding lands.

Early History of the Turbott family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turbott research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1710 is included under the topic Early Turbott History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turbott Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Turbutt, Turbott, Turbert, Turbett, Turbot and many more.

Early Notables of the Turbott family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Turbott Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Turbott family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Turbott name or one of its variants: Hannah Turbett who settled in Virginia in 1737; Nicholas and Peter Turbot settled in Plymouth Massachusetts in 1635; Isaac Turbutt settled in Maryland in 1736.

Contemporary Notables of the name Turbott (post 1700) +

Sir Ian Graham Turbott AO CMG CVO (1922-2016), New Zealand diplomat and university administrator, Governor of Grenada (1967-1968), Administrator of Grenada (1964-1967), Administrator of Antigua (1958-1964)
Harold Bertram Turbott (1899-1988), New Zealand doctor, public health administrator, broadcaster and writer
Evan Graham Turbott (1914-2014), New Zealand ornithologist and zoologist, brother of Ian Turbott

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)