This is an ancient Norse - Viking pre 7th Century personal name formely 'Thjodulf' and originally found widely in Yorkshire, although early recordings have been found in most areas which absorbed the invasions between the 7th and the 11th Centuries A.D., the modern spellings are Tordoff and Tordiffe. The name development including Geoffrey Thedolf (circa 1275, Buckinghamshire), whilst Lettice Torduffe is recorded at St. Peters, Leeds in 1589, whilst the variant Toriffe appears to be of London origin being recorded at St. Pauls, Covent Garden in 1812 when Thomas Toriffe married Harriel-Smith. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Simon Thudolf, which was dated 1273, The Hundred Rolls of Oxford, during the reign of King Edward I, The Hammer of the Scots, 1272 - 1307. 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.

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