Titfart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Titfart

What does the name Titfart mean?

Titfart is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Titfart family lived in Lincolnshire, at Tetforde.

Early Origins of the Titfart family

The surname Titfart was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Tetforde from very ancient times, some say from the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D. They were conjecturally descended from Gilbert of Tetford who held his lands from the Archbishop of York at the time of the Domesday Book Survey in 1086. At that time the village consisted of a church, a mill, and nine outlying mills.

Early History of the Titfart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Titfart research. Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Titfart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Titfart Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Tetford, Thetford, Titford, Thetforde and others.

Early Notables of the Titfart family

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

Migration of the Titfart family

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Titfart or a variant listed above: Eward Thetford who settled in Maryland in 1725. In Newfoundland, George Titford was a mariner of Harbour Grace in 1849.