Tooke is an Old English name originally found predominantly in the

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

region of the United Kingdom.Tooke is said to be derived "from the

Old Swedish Old Swedish ( Modern Swedish: ) is the name for two distinct stages of the Swedish language that were spoken in the Middle Ages: Early Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1225 until about 1375, and Late Old Swedish (), spoken from about 1375 unti ...

(pre 7th century Old Scandinavian origin) personal name "Toki". Toki remained a personal name from the Old Scandinavian, through the Anglo-Norman, and Middle English periods.''The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland'' by Patrick Hanks, Richard Coates, and Peter McClur

/ref>

Etymology

Tooke is said to be derived from the

(pre 7th century Old Scandinavian origin) personal name "Toki", itself claimed to be short form (in Latin a

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

or in Greek a

hypocoristicon A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or '' Bob'' for Robert, or it m ...

) of "Thorkettill" translating as "Thors cauldron". However, some sources suggest the derivation is from "Tiodgeir", meaning "people-spear". Toki remained a personal name from the Old Scandinavian, through the Anglo-Norman, and Middle English periods. Two

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic alphabet, runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition of erecting runestones as a memorial to dead men began in the 4th centur ...

inscriptions contain the personal name Toki: the Gunderup Runestone and the Sjörup Runestone. The personal name Thorkell is mentioned in two sagas: Hrafnkel's Saga and the Laxdale Saga. "Thorkettill" translating as "Thors cauldron" is a reference to the Norse myth that thunder was made by Thor riding around in a chariot full of kettles. According to Helene Adeline Guerber, "in Southern Germany the people, fancying a brazen chariot alone inadequate to furnish all the noise they heard, declared it was loaded with copper kettles, which rattled and clashed, and therefore often called him, with disrespectful familiarity, the kettle-vendor." Also in the Norse sagas, there is a story in which Thor is looking for a "kettle large enough to brew ale for all the Æsir at one time."

Distribution

The Old-Swedish source of Tooke seems to be confirmed by its distribution in England. Tooke is overwhelmingly prevalent in Norfolk, then Suffolk; areas that were part of the Viking

Danelaw The Danelaw (, ; ; ) was the part of History of Anglo-Saxon England, England between the late ninth century and the Norman Conquest under Anglo-Saxon rule in which Danes (tribe), Danish laws applied. The Danelaw originated in the conquest and oc ...

. References to

Thor Thor (from ) is a prominent list of thunder gods, god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred g ...

hit a "high popularity during the Viking Age". Compared with their Anglo-Saxon neighbours, the Vikings favoured Thor instead of Woden. Also, Tooke is derived from "Old Swedish" (pre-7th-century Old Scandinavian origin) rather than the related "Old English". Tuck is far less localized; its largest concentration is also in Norfolk, but it is found throughout England. It is also a far more common surname than Tooke. There are few records in the Norman period of English history. However, the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 was a survey of the land and land ownership before and after the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

. In the database provided by ''PASE Domesday'', there are twenty-three people of the name Toki and its variants. These are only men who held land, which was only a small segment of the population.

History

Tuck and Tooke, of East Anglia: Norfolk, and Suffolk

The Tookes from Norwich appear to associate themselves (using their arms) with the landed Toke family of Godinton Kent, which claims descent from Robert de Toke, who was present with Henry III at the

Battle of Northampton (1264) The Battle of Northampton took place during the Second Barons' War. The battle was a decisive victory for the royalist forces of King Henry III of England, who took Northampton Castle and captured Simon de Montfort (the Younger), son of Si ...

. Most Norfolk Tookes would be of local origin. Dr. Robert Liddiard in his thesis ''Landscapes of Lordship: Norman Castles and the Countryside in Medieval Norfolk, 1066-1200 '' suggests there were "a maximum of five and a minimum of three individuals called Toki who held land in Norfolk on the eve of the ormanconquest". One Toki (in particular) was a rather prominent antecessor of William de Warenne. "Toki was one of England's wealthiest lords, ranking fortieth in terms of wealth as recorded in Domesday Book TRE."Page 132 of ''Lords and Communities in Early Medieval East Anglia'' by Andrew Wareha

/ref> Toki and his family lost their position after the fall of the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings. ''Lords and Communities in Early Medieval East Anglia'' describes that he was a King's Thane A Thane was "a rank of nobility in pre-Norman England, roughly equivalent to baron." "The thanes in England were formerly persons of some dignity; there were two orders, the king's thanes, who attended the kings in their courts and held lands immediately of them, and the ordinary thanes, who were lords of manors and who had particular jurisdiction within their limits. After the ormanConquest, this title was disused, and baron took its place."

Toka of Norfolk

''The Ketts of Norfolk, a yeoman family''''The Ketts of Norfolk, a yeoman family'' by Kett, Louisa Marion; Kett, George, 1836-191

/ref> suggests that the Ketts are descended from a Toka/i "francigena" and his family who held numerous lordships of the manor in Norfolk in the reign of Edward the Confessor,Wikipedia:

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...

as mentioned above.

More on Toka: Deep ancestral history

"The Danish origin of the Ketts is indicated in the name of Godwin, and the pedigree goes back to him. Having regard to the date 1225, it would make 1140 a probable date for Godwin's birth. It seems unlikely that any documentary evidence now exists that will prove an earlier generation. We have Domesday compiled in 1086. From the scarcity of surnames in that record, no clear reference to the Ketts of East Anglia is forthcoming, but Christian names similar to those of the earliest recorded members of the Kett family have been found. They have been abstracted from the Norfolk Domesday and closely analysed. It is worth noting that the association of one group of Godwins, Hughs, and Huberts indicates a probable derivation from Toka, a " francigena " or foreigner (another word is used for Frank or Frenchman). This Toka was born about 960 A.D. These men were tenants of the de Morleys and the previous holders of de Morley lands. The following pedigree is appended, for what it is worth, as being reasonably probable..." Toka "francigena" Born about 960PASE Domesday: Toki 11 Toki, antecessor of William de Warenne, fl. 106

/ref> Godwin Tokesone (Godwine son of Toki) Born about 1000 ; held land at Wooton, county Norfolk (246 b.), under Gert, from the King, brother of Harold, 1042–1060; aka called the "Other Godwin"; Domeday, fo. 33 b., " son of Toka," Suffolk. Godwin Godwine Born about 1030 ; held land at "Wooton under Godwin Tokesone, and in Panxford and Plumstead, county Norfolk, under Gert, 1042–1066. ''Godwin'', a freeman, of Panxford and ''Godwine of Plumstead'', Hugh Born about 1060 ; succeeded to Godwin's land in Panxford and Plumstead, which he held in 10S6. Hugh also then held land in Morley and Aslactou. Hugh Born about 1100. Father of Godwin. (Early Norfolk Fine.) Godwin Born about 1140. Son of Hugh. Held land in Wilchingham, county Norfolk, 1202. ? Godwin Ket, father of Hubert Kett of Morley, about 1200. (Early Norfolk Fine.) Hubert Kett wife Katherine. Chartulary, "Wymondham Abbey. Born about 1170; of Morley, 1200. His services were granted to Wymondham Abbey, 1200, by Eobert de Morley. Hugh Kett. Born about 1200. (See Pedigree A''The Pedigree of Kett of Wymondham, Co. Norfolk, A.D. 1180-1913: Shewing the Ancestry, Kindred and Descendants of Robert, William and Thomas Kett, Leaders of the Rebellion in East Anglia, 1549, and of Francis Kett, the Martyr, Burnt at the Stake at Norwich Castle, 1589'

/ref>) Source: ''The Ketts of Norfolk, a yeoman family''''The Ketts of Norfolk, a yeoman family'' by Kett, Louisa Marion; Kett, George, 1836-191

/ref> & ''The Pedigree of Kett of Wymondham, Co. Norfolk, A.D. 1180-1913: Shewing the Ancestry, Kindred and Descendants of Robert, William and Thomas Kett, Leaders of the Rebellion in East Anglia, 1549, and of Francis Kett, the Martyr, Burnt at the Stake at Norwich Castle, 1589''

Notable Tookes

* Andrew Tooke (1673–1732), English scholar, headmaster, and translator of ''Tooke's Pantheon'' * Charles Emery Tooke, Jr. (1912–1986), U.S. attorney and politician from Louisiana * George Tooke (1595–1675), English soldier and writer *

John Horne Tooke John Horne Tooke (25 June 1736 – 18 March 1812), known as John Horne until 1782 when he added the surname of his friend William Tooke to his own, was an English clergyman, politician and Philology, philologist. Associated with radical proponen ...

(1736–1812), English clergyman, politician, and philologist *

John Tooke Sir John Edward Tooke (born 4 March 1949) is the Head of the School of Life & Medical Sciences at University College, London. He formerly worked at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry where he was the Inaugural Dean, and of the P ...

(born 1949), English professor of medicine and medical reform advocate * Thomas Tooke (1774–1858), English economist and economic statistician, son of William Tooke (1744–1820), brother of William Tooke (1777–1863) * William Tooke (1744–1820), British clergyman and historian of Russia, father of William Tooke (1777–1863) and Thomas Tooke * William Tooke (1777–1863), British lawyer, son of William Tooke (1744–1820), brother of Thomas Tooke

External links

Tooke in 1881 census

References

{{reflist Surnames of English origin