[Photo
Source: Google online images]
Submitted by: Dorothy Hazel Tarr.
Introduction
It
is always interesting to me to research my Family and the origin and meanings
of our Family names. Below is what I have found so far regarding my
surname "TARR".
Last Name: TARR
This
unusual name seems to have originated in the Bristol area of South West
England, which explains the use of the word as an occupational surname for one
who worked with tar or bitumen in waterproofing ships, Bristol having been an
important trading port for centuries. The
derivation of "tar"
is from the Old English "te(o)rn". The
parish records of West Bagborough in Somerset show the marriage of one Elizabeth Tarr to Henry Thrasher on the 23rd of April 1639. Sara Tarr was christened on the 14th
June 1667, at Chipstable, Somerset. The
first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Francis Tarr, married Ann Day, which was dated 1584,
Stockland, Bristol, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, 'Good Queen Bess',
1558 - 1603. 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.
(It is interesting to note that the surnames "TARR" and
"DAY" appear in my Family Tree. dht)
Tarr Name Meaning
English (southwestern England and
South Wales): apparently from tar (Old English te(o)ru), and
applied perhaps to someone who worked with tar or bitumen in waterproofing
ships.
Tarr
Meaning: dweller in, or near a tower; dweller near a
tower-like rock or hill; one who worked with tar or bitumen in waterproofing
ships.
The name "TARR" has its origin in England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Prussia, Preussen, Vavaria, and Baltum.
Tarr Coat of Arms / Tarr Family Crest
This
surname of TARR was an English occupational name for
someone who worked with tar or bitumen in waterproofing ships. The name was originally rendered in the Old
English form TEORU and is familiar to the Bristol area. Many of the modern family names throughout
Europe reflect the profession or occupation of their forbears in the Middle
Ages and derive from the position held by their ancestors in the village, noble
household or religious community in which they lived and worked. The addition of their profession to their
birth name made it easier to identify individual tradesmen and craftsmen. As generations passed and families moved
around, so the original identifying names developed into the corrupted but
simpler versions that we recognize today.
Early records of the name include Reigland de TERRE,
who was recorded in the year 1190 in London, and John de TAR
was recorded in 1212 in County Dorset. Over
the centuries, most people in Europe have accepted their surname as a fact of
life, as irrevocable as an act of God. However
much the individual may have liked or disliked the surname, they were stuck
with it, and people rarely changed them by personal choice. A more common form of variation was in fact involuntary,
when an official change was made, in other words, a clerical error. A later instance of the name includes Edward TARR, who was documented during the reign of Edward III
(1327-1377), and Symon TARRE of Yorkshire, was listed in the
Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Among the
humbler classes of European society, and especially among illiterate people,
individuals were willing to accept the mistakes of officials, clerks and
priests as officially bestowing a new version of their surname, just as they
had meekly accepted the surname they had been born with. In North America, the linguistic problems
confronting immigration officials at Ellis Island in the 19th century were
legendary as a prolific source of Anglicization. The eagle depicted in the arms is emblematical
of fortitude and magnanimity of mind. The
Romans used an eagle for their ensign, and their example has been often
followed. It is the device of Russia,
Austria, Germany, and the United States of America. In the Middle Ages, heraldry came into use as
a practical matter. It originated in the
devices used to distinguish the armored warriors in tournament and war, and was
also placed on seals as marks of identity.
As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th
century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western
Europe.
Summary
So this is what I've found so far: That
my family origins using the surname TARR came from mostly the United Kingdom
area and were living near towers in the Middle Ages and were probably working
in the shipbuilding trades.
