Tweedy
A Scottish and northern English surname probably meaning “from Tweeddale” or “by the Tweed.”
The #9,258 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,812 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Tweedy is a locational surname, most likely a shortened form of a name referring to Tweeddale in the Border country or to land near the River Tweed. The historical sources also point to an older form tied to Tweed and an Old English word for a meadow or lea, giving the sense of someone living by the Tweed meadow or valley. In practice, the surname seems to have been used for people identified with the Tweed/Tweeddale district rather than from a personal nickname.
History
The name appears in records in forms such as Twedy, Tweedie, and Tweedle, and was especially associated with Scotland and the north of England. One source notes that it has long had its English home in the North and East Ridings, while also occurring in Scotland. The surname also turned up in London and later in parts of the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century surname study noted that the name had a noticeable cluster in the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire, with some later spread to Kent and overseas.
From the historical record
“TWEEDIE 1 (17th cent. Twedy) shortened TWEEDY I forms of Tweed(d)ale, q.v. TWEEDLEY (Celt. -|- Eng.) Dweller at the Tweed-Lea [v. Tweed, and -t- O.E. ledK] TWELL, an aphseretic form of Attewell, q.v. TWELLS, genit. of Twell. TWELVES, an imit. form of Twells. TWEMLOW (Eng.) Bel. toTwemlow (Chesh.),”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)