Show ContentsTyng History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Tyng

What does the name Tyng mean?

The name Tyng, like many surnames, is occupational in origin, referring to the job that the first bearer did for a living. In this case, it is metonymic, coming not from the name of the occupation itself, but rather from the product made. A tingle is a very small nail, often used in the making of shoes. The first Tyng was most likely someone who made such nails.

Early Origins of the Tyng family

The surname Tyng was first found in Cambridgeshire, where the name first appeared in the early 13th century.

Early History of the Tyng family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tyng research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1205, 1209, 1275, 1683, 1691, 1740, 1744, 1745 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Tyng History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tyng Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tingel, Tingle, Tyngil, Tyngyl, Tingler and many more.

Early Notables of the Tyng family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Edward Tyng, British leading military officer in Maine and was appointed Governor of Acadia during King William's War, taken prisoner in the Naval battle off St. John (1691)


Tyng migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tyng Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Tyng, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1639 1

Tyng migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tyng Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Tyng U.E. (née Ross) born in Cumberland County, Maine who settled in Gagetown, Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1785 she returned to Maine in 1793 2
  • Col. William Tyng U.E. born in Cumberland County, Maine who settled in Gagetown, Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1785 he returned to Maine in 1793, he died in 1807 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Tyng (post 1700) +

  • Charles Tyng (1801-1879), New England sea captain and merchant, perhaps best known for his memoir written near the end of his life
  • James Alexander Tyng (1856-1931), American Major League Baseball player, the first to wear a catcher's mask while playing for Harvard College in 1877
  • Stephen Higginson Tyng (1800-1885), American leading clergyman of the evangelical party of the Episcopal Church
  • Christopher Tyng (b. 1968), American composer for film and television from Long Beach, California
  • Anne Griswold Tyng (1920-2011), American architect and professor, Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, and Academician of the National Academy of Design
  • Hattie Tyng Griswold (1842-1909), née Tyng, an American author and poet from Massachusetts
  • Stephen Tyng Hopkins (1849-1892), American politician, U.S. Representative from New York (1885-1886)
  • Robert Tyng Bushnell (1896-1949), American politician, Massachusetts Attorney General from 1941-1945
  • Stephen Tyng Mather (1867-1930), American industrialist and conservationist, President and owner of Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company, 1st Director of the National Park Service (1917-1929)
  • Robert Tyng Bushnell (1896-1949), American politician, Massachusetts Attorney General from 1941 to 1945


The Tyng 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: Confido non confundar
Motto Translation: I trust and shall not be confounded.


  1. 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)
  2. 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


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