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Does anyone know anything about the origins of the surname Tocknell? It has been in the Gloucestershire area of England for at least three hundred years (there is a tombstone with the name Tocknel in Painswick parish church) but no-one knows what it means or where it originated.
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In my opinion this derives from a place name, though no similar name seems to have survived to the present day.
I'm basing this on surnames with the same ending, such as Bricknell, Bucknell, from place names which now take the form Brignall and (possibly) Bucknall. 14th century notices of these surnames give the forms de Brigenhale and de Buckenhalle. It's noteworthy that there was a family in Staffordshire (Rowley) in the 14th century known by the name de Tockenhale. The preposition de, meaning 'of' supports the suggestion that Tockenhale is a place name. The meaning may be "Toca's nook", Toca being the Old English personal name found in place names such as Tockenham and Tockington.
All speculation.
I'm basing this on surnames with the same ending, such as Bricknell, Bucknell, from place names which now take the form Brignall and (possibly) Bucknall. 14th century notices of these surnames give the forms de Brigenhale and de Buckenhalle. It's noteworthy that there was a family in Staffordshire (Rowley) in the 14th century known by the name de Tockenhale. The preposition de, meaning 'of' supports the suggestion that Tockenhale is a place name. The meaning may be "Toca's nook", Toca being the Old English personal name found in place names such as Tockenham and Tockington.
All speculation.
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Tocknell has had a variety of spellings over the centuries. It translates to
" House of the Child " or " House of the Son ". I am an American that does
Tocknell research. I have Tocknells in my ancestry ( more than one ).
" House of the Child " or " House of the Son ". I am an American that does
Tocknell research. I have Tocknells in my ancestry ( more than one ).
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According to The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland (OUP, 2016), Tocknell is from Tocknells (House) in Painswick (Gloucestershire), which is recorded as Tokynhale in 1368. The place-name derives from an Old English personal name *Toca (genitive *Tocan) + halh ‘nook, corner of land’
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Thank you so much for your help! What you say really makes sense.
Andy
Andy
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