Tuft

Tuft
This interesting and unusual name is of Old Scandinavian origin, and is either a locational or a topographical surname. If the former, the name derives from any one of the various places called Toft, in Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Warwickshire, which are named with the Old Norse "topt", or Old Swedish "toft, tompt"; this term was originally used for the site of a house and its outbuildings, a house site, and from this developed the meaning "homestead", although it is also found in the sense of a deserted site. The places named with this word are variously recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, as "Tofth", "Taft" and "Tofte". As a topographical surname, Taft, Toft, Tofts, Tuft(s) and Tofft(s), denote residence by such a site or homestead. Among the early recordings of the name are those of Robert de Taft, in the Assize Court Rolls of Cambridge for the year 1340 whilst Henry Tofte was christened at St. Margaret's, Westminster, on September 29th 1585, and on July 26th 1655, Raph Taft was married at St Peters Church, Nottingham to one Alice Wright. This occurred during the "reign" of Oliver Cromwell from 1653 to 1658. The surname is probably better known in American, Robert Taft being the 27th President of the Union from 1909 to 1913. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Elyas del Toft, which was dated 1197, in the "Northamptonshire Pipe Rolls", during the reign of King Richard 1, known as "The Lionheart", 1189 - 1199. 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.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Tuft — Tuft, n. [Prov. E. tuff, F. touffe; of German origin; cf. G. zopf a weft of hair, pigtail, top of a tree. See {Top} summit.] 1. A collection of small, flexible, or soft things in a knot or bunch; a waving or bending and spreading cluster; as, a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tuft — [tuft] n. [ME (with unhistoric t) < OFr tufe, prob. < L tufa, a kind of helmet crest] 1. a bunch of hairs, feathers, grass, etc. growing closely together or attached at the base 2. any similar cluster; specif., a) a clump of plants or trees …   English World dictionary

  • tuft|ed — «TUHF tihd», adjective. 1. furnished with a tuft or tufts: »a tufted quilt. 2. having a tuft of feathers on the head; crested. 3. formed into a tuft or tufts …   Useful english dictionary

  • Tuft — Tuft, v. i. To grow in, or form, a tuft or tufts. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tuft — Tuft, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Tufted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Tufting}.] 1. To separate into tufts. [1913 Webster] 2. To adorn with tufts or with a tuft. Thomson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Tuft — bezeichnet ein textiles Verfahren, siehe Tufting Tuft ist der Nachname folgender Personen: Svein Tuft (* 1977), kanadischer Radrennfahrer Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung m …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Tuft — es un apellido que puede hacer referencia a: Gabriel Tuft, luchador. Svein Tuft, ciclista profesional …   Wikipedia Español

  • tuft — late 14c., perhaps from O.Fr. touffe tuft of hair, either from L.L. tufa a kind of crest on a helmet (also found in Late Gk. toupha), or from a Germanic source (Cf. O.H.G. zopf, O.N. toppr tuft, summit; see TOP (Cf. top) (1)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • tuft — [tʌft] n [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: tufe] a bunch of hair, feathers, grass etc growing or held closely together at their base tuft of ▪ tufts of grass …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • tuft — [ tʌft ] noun count several individual pieces of grass, hair, feathers, or fibers that are all growing or joined together at the bottom end: tufts of reddish hair …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • tuft — [n] clump of strands of something bunch, cluster, collection, cowlick, feathers, group, knot, plumage, ruff, shock, topknot, tussock; concepts 392,432,471 …   New thesaurus

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