TUNNICLIFFE
Tunnicliffe is an English locational surname deriving from Old English elements. The component tun denotes an enclosure or settlement, while clif refers to a cliff or slope. Consequently, the name originally identified a person dwelling near or upon a cliff within a settlement.
The name is first recorded in the mid-13th Century, with the earliest known spelling Henry de Tunwaleclif appearing in the 1246 Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire, during the reign of King Henry V, known as “The Frenchman”. The place name, recorded in the same documents as Tunwal(e)clif, points to a location in Lancashire, probably the village of Tonacliffe. Variants of the surname that appear in historical records include Tunnicliff, Dunnicliff, Dunnicliffe, Toniecliffe and Tuncliffe.
In the 17th and 18th centuries the surname appears in several English church registers. For example, the marriage of Ann Toniecliffe and Arthur Evans was recorded on 25 March 1654 at St. Botolph’s, Bishopsgate, London. The union of Elizabeth Tuncliffe and John Newcome on 20 February 1719 at St. John’s, Hackney, London, and the marriage of John Tunnicliffe and Hannah Hambleton on 2 August 1788 at Rochdale, Lancashire, are also documented. These entries confirm a continued presence of the family across England in the early modern period.
Although the surname is primarily associated with Staffordshire according to one source, the evidence from Lancashire records demonstrates that bearers of the name were established in at least two counties. The locational nature of the surname suggests that its early holders were likely landowners or tenants of a manor, a pattern common in English patronymic development. In all, the name Tunnicliffe reflects a geographic origin tied to an enclosed settlement situated near a notable cliff or slope, and it has been preserved in written records for over eight centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Tunnicliffe surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Darren
- David
- Ian
- James
- Jason
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Neil
- Paul
- Peter
- Philip
- Richard
Female
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jean
- Joan
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Sharon
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Tunnicliffe in...
Braille
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Morse
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There are approximately 2,865 people named Tunnicliffe in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,116th most common surname in Britain. Around 44 in a million people in Britain are named Tunnicliffe.
Famous people named Tunnicliffe
- Charles Tunnicliffe - Wildlife painter (1901 to 1979)
- Denis Tunnicliffe, Baron Tunnicliffe - Pilot and railwayman
- Jordan Tunnicliffe - Football player
- James Tunnicliffe - Football player
- Gary J. Tunnicliffe - Designer
- Colin Tunnicliffe - Cricketer
- Billy Tunnicliffe - Football player (1920 to 1997)
- John Tunnicliffe - County cricketer (1866 to 1948)
- Trevor Tunnicliffe - Cricketer
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.