Turbut History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Turbut

What does the name Turbut mean?

The vast movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought the Turbut family name to the British Isles. Turbut comes from the Norman given name Terbert.

Early Origins of the Turbut family

The surname Turbut was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat. The definition that the name was derived from the name of a fish can be discounted as Victorian historians whimsical nonsense. The family held a family seat in Yorkshire and was a noble name during the time of King Richard 1st (about 1190 A.D.) and all indications are that this was a Norman name which appeared in the Domesday Book, 1 a survey of England taken by Duke William of Normandy in the year 1086 A.D., after his conquest of England in 1066 A.D. and appears as Turbert, a person holding lands.

Early History of the Turbut family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Turbut research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the year 1710 is included under the topic Early Turbut History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Turbut 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 Turbutt, Turbott, Turbert, Turbett, Turbot and many more.

Early Notables of the Turbut family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Turbutt of Mount St. John

Turbut migration to the United States +

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 Turbut or a variant listed above:

Turbut Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Benjamin Robert Turbut, who landed in America in 1766 2

Sources +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)