This is a rare surname in this spelling (there are many other spellings), and can be regarded as Medieval English and/or French, but of Viking pre 6th century origins. As spelt there are two accepted meanings both based upon the original name 'Thor'. Thor was the Scandanavian god of thunder and lightning, and a regular warriors name. It developed two distinct endings. The first was from the word 'stein' meaning stone and hence 'Thors Stone' and the second from the patronymic 'son (or sen)' and hence 'son of Thor'. The historical records pre the Invasion of England by the Normans of Normandy in 1066 suggest the name first appeared in Scandanavia before the year 500 a.d. by 700 had by conquest reached the region henceforth known as Normandy, in the spelling of Turstinius. It reached the British Isles at much the same time but as Thurstein, Tursten or even Pursten! Over the next thousand years it went through a whole raft of changes and as Tuting, Tutin, Tusting, Tuton, Tutting, Tutton, Tuteing, etc. seems to have been particularly popular in the North of England, specifically county of Yorkshire. Examples from the surviving records include John Tutin, a Freeman of the city of York in 1640 during the English Civil War (1640 - 1659), and William Tuting, a christening witness at Kirby Fleetham, York, on October 14th 1765.There is a coat of arms of lozengy, red and silver - with a gold chief.

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