Recorded in several spellings including Tott, Toth, Tothe, Tottman, Tottie, and Tottey, this is a medieval English surname of pre 7th century origins. It is believed to derive from the Danish-Viking personal name Thjod, but it is equally possible that the name is a form of the German Otto. It is not uncommon for a surname to have several possible origins, however the evidence points to the Vikings, if only because most of the early surviving recordings are to be found in Yorkshire, and York was the ancient capital of Viking England. The early surname development included the following recordings taken from the authentic records, rolls and registers, of the medieval period. Wilhelmus Tothe in the Poll Tax register for Yorkshire in 1379, and Robertus Thotte in the same rolls. Later recordings include those of George Tott in the marriage license lists for London in 1577, and John Totman, who was an emigrant to the New England colony of Virginia, in 1632, whilst Mary Tottey married John Byrne, at St George's Chapel, Hanover Square, Westminster, in 1789. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of Beatrix Totty. This was dated 1379, in the Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire, during the reign of King Richard 11nd. He was known as "Richard of Bordeaux", where he was born, and reigned from 1378 to 1399. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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