This interesting name is of English origins and may be either locational or to derive from a Viking personal name of the pre 8th century. If locational the origin is probably Thurston village in the county of Suffolk, an area in which the early Viking invaders settled in great numbers. This name derives from the Danish-Viking 'Thor' plus either the Viking 'stein' meaning 'stone' or the Anglo-Saxon 'tun'. This would give the meaning of 'Thors stone' or 'Thors farm', both are equally logical. However it is also possible that the surname is a direct derivation of "Thurstan", the personal name, since this was one of the most popular of all pre medieval names. Furthermore it kept its popularity right through the following Norman period, when for political reasons, many Anglo-Saxon names were replaced by 'French' names such as William, Richard, and Henry. The early recordings include Turstan of Yorkshire, Tostin of Hereford, and Turtin of Shropshire, all recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book. The later surnames recordings include John Turstein of Somerset in 1243, William Thurstan of Oxford in 1354, and John Tuteing of York in 1641. Edward Tutton was a witness at St. Mary, Whitechapel, London on May 29th 1715 at the christening of his son, also Edward. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Wimer Turstan, which was dated 1221, in the Annals of the Abbey of Ely, Suffolk, during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

© Copyright: Name Origin Research 1980 - 2024