Tregurtha

A rare Cornish surname that derives its name from either the manor of Tregurtha in the parish of St. Hilary (located in west Cornwall) or from the hamlet of Tregurtha Barton in the parish of St. Wenn (located in central Cornwall). The aforementioned parish of St. Hilary also contains the hamlet Tregurtha Downs, which also derives its name from the manor of Tregurtha.

The meaning of the name Tregurtha is not wholly certain: one source states that it is derived from Cornish tre-gorha meaning "the town for hay" or "the hay town", while an other source states that it is derived from Cornish tre-kerghan meaning "homestead of oats". Yet another source states that it is either derived from Cornish tre-c(g)ar(dh)then meaning "homestead with a thicket" or from Cornish tre-gerthan meaning "rowan-tree farm". All etymologies are different from each other, but have one thing in common with each other: all use the Cornish word tre meaning "homestead, dwelling" as well as "settlement, village". As such, it seems that at least the first element of the name is reasonably certain (or at least more so than the second element). Also compare other surnames of Cornish origin, such as Trevelyan.

A known bearer of this surname was the British rugby union player Nicholas Tregurtha (1884-1964).