Origins: According to what research I have done the origins surrounding the surname Tinker is not entirely clear. It seems that it is a derivative of an olde English word called Tinklere and is an occupational surname that is somewhat synonymous with one who mended pots and pans for a living.
According to a Wikipedia article:
"A tinker was originally an itinerant tinsmith, who mended household utensils. The word is attested from the 13th century and may be of imitative origin. Some travelling people and Gypsies adopted this lifestyle and the name was particularly associated with indigenous Irish and Scottish Travellers. However, this usage is disputed and considered offensive by some. Tinkering is therefore the process of adapting, meddling or adjusting something in the course of making repairs or improvements, a process also known as bricolage." (Wikipedia)
It is thought that the Tinker family originated throughout England and other parts of Europe. One of the earliest Tinker families to appear in America is that of one Thomas Tinker and his family, who appeared in Plymouth circa 1620, they were followed by John Tinker who appeared in Boston, Massachusetts in the year 1635 and Ann Tinker who settled in Virginia some two decades later. (2014, Archives.Com)
The Picture on the right is a photo taken from the Wikipedia Commons file and is in the Public Domain. It depicts an early Tinker.
Notice the name being synonymous with his occupational pursuits.
Some Facts to Know:
- Tinker appears to be the 5009th most common surname within the United States.
- According to Ancestry, the 1880 Federal Census lists the most common occupation for persons with the Surname Tinker as that of a Farmer, followed by a housekeeper then a Laborer.
- Civil War records indicate that more Tinkers served in the Union Side versus the Confederate in the army.
Famous People with Surname Tinker:
- Joseph Bert Tinker- major league baseball player who played for the Chicago Cubs, he was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.
- Grant Tinker- American Businessman and CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986. Formerly married to Mary Tyler Moore
Tinker is my husbands Surname. The earliest patriarch that we have for our line of the TINKER family is that of Abraham Tinker Sr born 1 October 1775 somewhere in North Carolina. His wife is the elusive Miss Polly whose maiden name is unknown. I have made earlier posts on my blog about the confusion surrounding the surname of Miss Polly, that is something I will not get into in this post, you can do a search on this blog and find any prior posts on this subject. My husbands Y-DNA matches a different surname. He does however have some Tinker DNA matches through his autosomal testing, we know they are coming from a Female Tinker ancestor and at this point in time we feel that perhaps a Tinker woman gave birth to a child out of wedlock or for whatever reason and that son was raised as a Tinker being given its mothers surname. His Tinker matches tie into Robert Tinker and Mary Merwin from New Windsdor, Berkshire, England.
Abraham Tinker and his wife Polly had a son named James Abraham TINKER who married Nancy A PARKS who was a daughter of Phillip PARKS and Katherine WHITE. James and Nancy had a son whom they named Phillip Parks Tinker Sr.
Phillip Parks TINKER Sr married one Anne Hessaltine Graham and the couple had thirteen children born to their union. The TINKER family resided in Washington (Unicoi) County, in Tennessee. Anne was the daughter of John GRAHAM and Mary BAYLESS.
Phillip and Ann had a son named Phillip Parks TINKER Jr. Phillip Jr. married one Rosettie "Rosa" POPE a daughter of John POPE and Marthiea "Martha" Cordillia KNIGHT believed to be a daughter of John Alvin KNIGHT.
Rose POPE connects to Thomas POPE whose ancestor just happens to be Martha POPE-WASHINGTON the mother of our first president George WASHINGTON.
Phillip Parks TINKER Jr and Rosa POPE had seven children, three boys and four girls. One of which was my husbands grandfather Walter TINKER. Walter married Stella D BOUSE a daughter of John Benjamin BOUSE and Margaret "Maggie" J. HARPER.
Sources:
Archives.Com
Ancestry.Com
Wikipedia.Com
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