Show ContentsTweedie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Tweedie

What does the name Tweedie mean?

The Tweedie family was "an old Peeblesshire family, and, according to a favorite mythic story, the first of the name was the child of a species of water spirit or genius of the Tweed, hence their name. Unfortunately for the truth of this story the name is derived from the lands of Tweedie in the parish of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire." 1

Early Origins of the Tweedie family

The surname Tweedie was first found in Lanarkshire where "Finlay de Twydyn rendered homage to King Edward I of England in 1296, and Watere de Twydi was juror on an inquest at Lanark, 1303. Roger, son of Finlay of Twydyn, had a charter of the house and lands of Diumelzier, c. 1320. After possessing, the lands and barony for fully three hundred years the family lost them in the reign of Charles I. " 1

Early History of the Tweedie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tweedie research. Another 362 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1362, 1370, 1389, 1390, 1426, 1542, 1550, 1583, 1590, 1592, 1715, 1794, 1809, 1826, 1843, 1846, 1878, 1884 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Tweedie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tweedie Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tweedie, Tweedy, Twedye, Twiddy and others.

Early Notables of the Tweedie family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Alexander Tweedie (1794-1884), physician, was born in Edinburgh on 29 Aug. 1794, and received his early education at the Royal High School of that city. In 1809 he commenced his medical studies at the...
  • William Menzies Tweedie (1826-1878), portrait-painter, born at Glasgow in 1826, was the son of David Tweedie, a lieutenant in the marines. He was himself intended for the navy, but at six years of age...

Migration of the Tweedie family to Ireland

Some of the Tweedie family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Tweedie migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tweedie Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ann Tweedie, who settled in Pennsylvania sometime between 1736 and 1804
Tweedie Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Tweedie, who was on record in New York as a British Alien in the US during the War of 1812
  • James Tweedie, aged 31, who landed in New York, NY in 1812-1813 2
  • John Tweedie, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1850
  • Jacob Tweedie who arrived in America in 1858

Tweedie migration to Australia +

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

Tweedie Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Tweedie, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Charles Kerr" in 1840 3

Tweedie 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:

Tweedie Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Tweedie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 4
  • Mr. Nicholas Tweedie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 4
  • Miss Margaret Tweedie, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Tweedie (post 1700) +

  • David Russell Tweedie (b. 1968), American composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer
  • Winnifred Tweedie (1877-1961), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1924 5
  • Sanford Martin III Tweedie (1931-1991), American Republican politician, Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from St. Clair District, 1961-62 5
  • Sanford Martin Tweedie (1900-1973), American Republican politician, Chair of Sanilac County Republican Party, 1950 5
  • George Sanford Tweedie (1861-1931), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1928 5
  • William Menzies Tweedie (1826-1878), Scottish portrait-painter, born at Glasgow, the son of David Tweedie, a lieutenant in the Marines
  • Alexander Tweedie (1794-1884), Scottish physician, born in Edinburgh
  • Dr. Stephen Tweedie, Scottish software developer who is known for his work on the Linux kernel
  • Herbert James Tweedie Jr. (1864-1906), English golf course architect from in Bombay, India
  • Frederick Morrison Tweedie (1877-1943), Canadian industrialist and politician from New Brunswick; he represented Northumberland County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1931 to 1944
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Tweedie 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: Thol And Think
Motto Translation: Wait and think


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. 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)
  3. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHARLES KERR 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840CharlesKerr.htm
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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