Thomlinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Thomlinson

What does the name Thomlinson mean?

The Thomlinson name is an important part of the history of the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Thomlinson is derived from the personal name Thomas. Thomlinson is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. This surname came out of the religious given name tradition, and derived from the personal name Thomas, which means twin. Thomas was a popular name, owing to its biblical origins. 1

Early Origins of the Thomlinson family

The surname Thomlinson was first found in Durham where they were Lords of the manor of Gateshead from ancient times.

By the time of the Edward I (1312-1377), John Tomelyn and John Thomelyn were both listed in Somerset. 2 Later, in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, Robert Thomelynsone and Henricus Thomlynson were listed. 3

Early History of the Thomlinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thomlinson research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1617, 1668, 1681, 1748 and 1811 are included under the topic Early Thomlinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thomlinson Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Thomlinson were recorded, including Tomlinson, Thomlinson and others.

Early Notables of the Thomlinson family

Notables of the family at this time include

Matthew Thomlinson or Tomlinson (1617-1681), an English soldier who fought for Parliament in the English Civil War, he was a regicide of Charles I, but escaped punishment at the Restoration; and Colon...
Robert Thomlinson (1668-1748), was the English benefactor of Newcastle-on-Tyne, born at Wigton, the youngest son of Richard Thomlinson of Akehead, near Wigton, Cumberland, of an old Durham family. (NB...

Thomlinson migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Thomlinson family emigrate to North America:

Thomlinson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Thomlinson, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4
Thomas Thomlinson, who settled in Virginia in 1653
Tho Thomlinson, who landed in Virginia in 1653 4
Joseph Thomlinson, who settled in America in 1663

Thomlinson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Thomlinson, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1741 4

Thomlinson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Thomlinson, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1832 4
Annie Thomlinson, aged 13, who arrived in New York in 1868 4
Elizabeth Thomlinson, aged 3, who arrived in New York in 1868 4
Elizth Thomlinson, aged 37, who landed in New York in 1868 4
George Thomlinson, aged 7, who arrived in New York in 1868 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Thomlinson 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:

Thomlinson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Ann Thomlinson, aged 17, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 5

Thomlinson 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. 6

Thomlinson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

James and Joseph Thomlinson, who settled in Barbados in 1635
Mr. Joseph Thomlinson, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 7

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm