Tarbell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Tarbell

What does the name Tarbell mean?

Tarbell is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the ancient Norman given name Terbert.

Early Origins of the Tarbell family

The surname Tarbell was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times at Tarbock, after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They were descended from the Baron Richard, brother of Sir Robert Fitzhenry, founder of Burscough Priory. " Henry de Tarbock or Torbock, who was early the lord of Tarbock, Roby, Huyton, Knowsley, and other manors, had two sons. The elder of these, Robert, was sometimes distinguished by the Norman patronymic FitzHenry, which the English rendered Harrison, and sometimes was denominated from his principal residence, de Lathom; while Richard, the other son, inheriting Tarbock, designated himself from that estate." 1

Early History of the Tarbell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tarbell research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1606 is included under the topic Early Tarbell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tarbell 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 Tarbock, Tarbocks, Tarbox, Tirebuck, Torbock, Tarbuck, Tarbux and many more.

Early Notables of the Tarbell family

More information is included under the topic Early Tarbell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tarbell Ranking

In the United States, the name Tarbell is the 18,423^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Tarbell migration to Canada +

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 Tarbell name or one of its variants:

Tarbell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. James Tarbell U.E. who settled in Sissiboo, Nova Scotia c. 1784 he served with the Volunteers 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Tarbell (post 1700) +

Warren E. Tarbell (1860-1930), American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives; Member of Massachusetts State Senate Worcester & Hampden District, 1923-24 4
H. V. Tarbell, American politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Kent County 1st District, 1934 4
Grace Tarbell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 1928 4
Clarence D. Tarbell, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Ithaca, New York, 1921-32 4
Charles Tarbell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 1908 4
Joseph Tarbell (1780-1815), American naval officer
Harlan Tarbell (1890-1960), American stage magician and illustrator
Frank Bigelow Tarbell (1853-1920), American historian and archeologist
Edmund Charles Tarbell (1862-1938), American impressionist painter
Ida Minerva Tarbell (1857-1944), American reform journalist

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html