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Tuck History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Tuck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Tuck

What does the name Tuck mean?

Tuck is a name whose history on English soil dates back to the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of England of 1066. The Tuck family lived in Touques in the arrondissement of Pont L'Evesque, at the mouth of the river so called in Normandy. "Le Seigneur de Touque appears on the list of those who fought under William the Conqueror both in the Norman Chronicle and in the Romati de Rou." 1

Early Origins of the Tuck family

The surname Tuck was first found in Yorkshire where Toc or Toka (no forename) was listed in the Domesday Survey of 1086. 2 Wace, the historian, mentions the Baron Touque as amongst the Companions of Duke William, at Hastings in 1066.

Other early entries for the family include: Rogerus filius Toke, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland in 1214; Wrange Tocha in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1166; Henry Thoche in Lincolnshire in the 12th century; Robert Toke in the Pipe Rolls for Suffolk in 1200; William Toke in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland in 1211; and Robert Touk, who was found in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1325. 3

"The surname is found spelled in 17 different ways. One of the most ancient is Toke, as preserved in the Godington family for many centuries. The Tookes of Hurston Clays, co. Sussex, of London, Herts, Dorset, &c., proven descendants of that house, have employed this orthography from the XVI. century." 4

"In Nottinghamshire the Toukes were to be found for about three hundred years. William de Tulc, or Tuke, during the reign of Stephen, held of Ralph Silvain in Kelham, part of the great Richmond Fee, and was a benefactor of Rufford Abbey. His son William confirmed and added to his gifts, and he gave account of two marks, for having his land again, whereof he was disseized for being in Nottingham Castle, as most of our Nottinghamshire gentry were at that time, with Earl John." 1

Henry, his heir, was living in 1218, and was followed by two Sir Walters, father and son, then by another Henry, and a Simon, mentioned in 1337.

There is a Kentish family of this name, derived from Robert de Toke, who was present with Henry III. at the battle of Northampton in 1264. His greatgrandson was seated at Westcliffe in Kent; and from him, in the fifth generation, descended John Toke of Bere, living in the reigns of Henry V. and Henry VI.

We would be remiss if we did not address the legendary Friar Tuck. Two royal writs in 1417 refer to Robert Stafford, a Sussex chaplain who had assumed the alias of Frere Tuk. Little more is known about him other than this "Friar Tuck" was still at large in 1429.

Early History of the Tuck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tuck research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1175, 1498, 1545, 1580, 1595, 1598, 1615, 1657, 1663, 1673, 1674, 1675, 1698 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Tuck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tuck Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Tooke, Tocque, Took, Touque, Tuck and others.

Early Notables of the Tuck family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Brian Tuke (d. 1545), secretary to Henry VIII, he was apparently son of Richard Tuke (d. 1498?); Thomas Tuke (c.1580-1657), an English clergyman and controversial writer, of Royalist views in later life; Sir Samuel Tuke (c.1615-1674), 1st Baronet, English officer in the Royalist army during the English Civil War and a notable playwright, best known for his 1663 play "The Adventure of...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tuck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tuck Ranking

In the United States, the name Tuck is the 3,239^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Tuck migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Tuck or a variant listed above:

Tuck Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Warran Tuck, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 6
Woodham Tuck, who landed in Virginia in 1642 6
Robert Tuck, who landed in Virginia in 1657 6
Daniel Tuck, who landed in Maryland in 1676 6

Tuck Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lancelot Tuck, who landed in New York in 1833 6
M Tuck, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6

Tuck migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Tuck Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Tuck, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Joseph Tuck, British Convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
John Tuck, English convict from Norfolk, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Mr. John Tuck, English convict who was convicted in Norfolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Tuck, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 14th October 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tuck 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:

Tuck Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Tuck, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Isabella Hamilton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th April 1858 12
William Tuck, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Nimroud" in 1860
George Tuck, aged 36, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
Martha Tuck, aged 35, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
Alfred Tuck, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Edinburgh" in 1873
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tuck 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. 13

Tuck Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Geo Tuck, aged 40, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Tuck (post 1700) +

Richard Gregory "Dick" Tuck (1924-2018), American political consultant, campaign strategist, advance man, and political prankster
Gary Robert Tuck (b. 1954), American Major League Baseball bullpen coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2006-2012
Amos Tuck (1810-1879), American politician in New Hampshire who some say founded the Republican Party
Jessica Ines Tuck (b. 1963), American Daytime Emmy Award and Soap Opera Digest Award nominated actress
Justin Lee Tuck (b. 1983), American NFL football defensive end for New York Giants
Leon Parker Tuck (1891-1953), American silver medalist ice hockey player at the 1920 Summer Olympics
Amy Tuck (b. 1963), American politician, 30th Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi (2000-2008)
Edward Tuck (1842-1938), American banker and philanthropist
Shane Tuck (1981-2020), Australian rules footballer who played 173 matches for the Richmond Football Club
Robert Roland Stanford Tuck (1916-1987), British fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force, during World War II, credited with 30 aerial victories
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Tuck family +

SS Atlantic

Patrick Tuck, crew member who was aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, survived the sinking

The Tuck Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Militia mea multiplex
Motto Translation: My warfare is manifold.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies