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Tort Family History

Tort Surname Meaning

Apparently from an unrecorded Old French personal name Turte as implied by filius Turte recorded in Canterbury in the early 1200s. This could be a Norman French form of Old Scandinavian Þórðr and Old Danish Þūrð with French substitution of /t/ for /θ/ and /ð/.

From Old French torte and Middle English tourte meaning ‘coarse round loaf’, perhaps alluding to the shape and colour of someone's head. Nicknames were sometimes used in lieu of the baptismal given name, which could account for filius Turte.

From Middle English and Old French tort(e) meaning ‘twisted, crooked’. Compare Robert Tortesmains from 1169 in Pipe Rolls (Yorks) meaning ‘twisted hands’.

Also note Deudon’ cum pedibus tortis from 1191 in Pipe Rolls (London) meaning ‘with twisted feet’.

Source: The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, 2016


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Where is the Tort family from?

You can see how Tort families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Tort family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Tort families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 7 Tort families living in Devon. This was about 28% of all the recorded Tort's in United Kingdom. Devon had the highest population of Tort families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Tort surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Tort ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Tort. 50% of Tort men worked as a Laborer and 43% of Tort women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Tort were Pallbener and School Teacher.

View Census Data for Tort | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    50%
  • Farmer
    34%
  • Pallbener
    17%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    43%
  • Saleslady
    29%
  • School Teacher
    29%

What Tort family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Tort. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Tort census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Tort

Passenger Lists

There are 385 immigration records available for the last name Tort. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Tort immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Tort. For the veterans among your Tort ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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