Show ContentsTurpin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Turpin Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Turpin

What does the name Turpin mean?

The name Turpin reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Turpin family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Turpin family lived in Dorset. Their name, however, is a reference to Turpin Au Bois, Normandy, 1 the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the French name Turpinus, a derivative of the Latin 'turpis,' meaning 'disgraceful,' a name adopted by the early Christians as a token of humility. 2

Another source claims the name could have been "derived from the name of an ancestor, as in 'the son of Thorfin,' a popular name among the Danes, which originated some of our place-names; e.g. Thorpanstye, otherwise Thorfinstye Hall, in the parish of Cartmel, Lancashire, was so named from the owner Thorfin or Torpin, a great landowner (of twelve manors) at the time of the Doomsday Survey." 3

Early Origins of the Turpin family

The surname Turpin was first found in Dorset but was quickly found in Yorkshire shortly after the Norman Conquest. One of the first records of the name was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Torfin or Turfin. 4

Turfinus filius Torfini was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1130 as was Torphinus in the same rolls in 1196. A few years later, Gaufridus filius Thorphini was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1204. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list John Turpin in Oxfordshire. 3 Whitchester in Northumberland was home to a branch of the family. "This place was for ages the possession of the Turpin family." 5

"Turpin was a common name in Exmouth in the 16th and 17th centuries. William Turpin was churchwarden of Littleham in 1575. Turpin is also an ancient east of England name, specifically found in Essex. " 6

"The name of Turpin was represented in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Wilts, in the 13th century (Hundredorum Rolls). In the reign of Mary, George Turpin, Esq., bought the manor of Claybrook, Leicestershire, from Thomas Lacey, Esq., of Charlecote, Warwickshire. The name is also now represented in Devonshire." 6

Richard "Dick" Turpin (1705-1739), the infamous English highwayman who was executed on 22 March 1739 for his deeds was inspiration for many English ballads, theatre and films hailed from Hempstead, Essex. Ironically, Turpin was never convicted of being a highwayman or a murderer. He was convicted of being a horse-rustler and that led to his execution.

In Scotland, the name dates back to 1178 when Turpin was the name of the second known bishop of Brechin. Early records often listed the early Latin form of the name as in "Magister Turpinus [who] witnessed a charter by William the Lion of the Church of Foregrund, c. 1165-71." 7 Walter, son of Turpin, exchanged his lands of Kenny for those of Othirlony, c. 1226-39, William, son of Turpun, was juror on an Inquisition concerning the lands of Mefth, 1262. He may have been a relative of Richard Turpin who witnessed a charter by Bernard de Rippelai in the twelfth century. 7

Early History of the Turpin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turpin research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1529, 1554, 1563, 1565, 1572, 1574, 1583, 1619 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Turpin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turpin Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Turpin family name include Turpine, Torpin, Turpin, Turbin, Turping, Tirping, Tirpin, Terpin, Turpen and many more.

Early Notables of the Turpin family

  • Sir George Turpin (1529-1583), of Knaptoft, Leicestershire and London, an English Member of Parliament for Leicestershire in November 1554, 1563 and 1572...

Turpin World Ranking

the United States, the name Turpin is the 2,597th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 8 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Turpin is ranked the 577th most popular surname with an estimated 79 people with that name. 9 And in France, the name Turpin is the 462nd popular surname with an estimated 9,469 people with that name. 10

Migration of the Turpin family to Ireland

Some of the Turpin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turpin migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Turpin family to immigrate North America:

Turpin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Hugh Turpin, who landed in Virginia in 1663 12
  • James Turpin, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 12
Turpin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Turpin, who settled in New England in 1750
  • Richard Turpin, who landed in America in 1783 12
Turpin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Turpin, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1837 12
  • John Turpin settled at St. Lawrence in 1871

Turpin migration to Canada +

Turpin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Turpin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Turpin was scalped by Red Indians at Sandy Cove, now Tilton, Newfoundland in 1809 13
  • Mr. William Turpin, (b. 1835), aged 20, Cornish labourer departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he survived the sinking 14

Turpin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Joseph Turpin, (d. 1794), British settler convicted in Surrey, England in 1787, sentenced to 14 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 11
  • Mr Stephen Turpin, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing money, transported aboard the ship "Atlantic" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 12
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Turpin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Charles Turpin, (b. 1791), aged 30, English waterman who was convicted in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
  • Mr. William Turpin, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 16
  • Adam Turpin, English convict from Cambridge, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on October 22nd, 1824, settling in New South Wales, Australia 17
  • Mr. Robert Turpin, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 18
  • Mr. Robert Turpin, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Turpin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Turpin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Turpin, aged 36, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 20
  • Ann Turpin, aged 34, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 20
  • J. Turpin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Crownthorpe" in 1876
  • Elizabeth Turpin, aged 17, a servant, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 21

Turpin migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 22
Turpin Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Turpin who settled in Barbados in 1635
  • Mr. John Turpin, (b. 1613), aged 22, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 23
  • Henry Turpin, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his son and servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Turpin (post 1700) +

  • Waters Edward Turpin (1910-1968), American novelist, professor, playwright, and textbook author
  • Barbara Jo Turpin, American chemist who is a Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
  • KaVontae Lamon Turpin (b. 1996), American professional football wide receiver and return specialist
  • John Henry Turpin (1876-1962), American sailor in the United States Navy who survived the explosions of two U.S. Navy ships: USS Maine in 1898, and USS Bennington in 1905, one of the first African Americans to hold the rank of chief petty officer in the U.S. Navy
  • Thomas Million John Turpin (1871-1922), American ragtime composer
  • Melvin Harrison "Mel" Turpin (1960-2010), American professional basketball player
  • Bernard "Ben" Turpin (1869-1940), American cross-eyed silent film comedian and actor
  • James Clifford Turpin (1886-1966), American pioneer aviator for the Wright Brothers
  • Will Turpin, American singer/musician
  • ... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Empress of Ireland
  • Mr. Richard Turpin, Canadian Second Class Passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland (1914) 24
  • Mr. Thomas Keith Turpin, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 25
  • Mrs. Maud Adelaide Otway Turpin, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 26
  • Mr. William John Robert Turpin (d. 1912), aged 29, English Second Class passenger from Plymouth, Devon who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 26
  • Mrs. Dorothy Ann Turpin (d. 1912), (née Wonnacott), aged 27, English Second Class passenger from Plymouth, Devon who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 27
  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  10. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  11. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  12. 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)
  13. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  14. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  17. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1824 with 9 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1824
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  20. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  21. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  23. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  24. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  25. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  26. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html

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