This interesting and unusual name, found mainly in the north of England and Scotland, is of early medieval English origin. It is a nickname surname for someone thought to resemble a fox in some real or fancied way, for example, either in being quick or clever, or perhaps more obviously in having red hair. The derivation is from the Northern Middle English "tod(de)", a fox. The Scottish form of this name usually appears as Tod. The name development includes Richard Todd (1231 Northumberland) and Richard le Todde (1275 Worcestershire). On December 12th 1586, David Todd married Margaret Ashleby, at St. Mary Somerset, London, and the marriage of Annes Todd and Franncis Carrowe, took place on October 2nd 1587, at St. Peter Eastcheap, London. The name is found recorded in America as early as the 17th Century, when one Robert Todd, aged 23 yrs, sailed aboard "The Hopewell" to "Elizabeth Cittie", Hampton River, Virginia in 1622. Among the recordings in Yorkshire are the marriage of Robert Todd and Jane Storrow on January 15th 1616 at Wensley. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hugo Tod, which was dated 1168, at Norfolk, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. 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