Tocher

This old and rare Scottish surname is topographical from the Grampian region. It derives from "Tochar", a gaelic word for a Causeway and is also found in the villages of Upper and Nether Tocher in the parish of Rayne, Aberdeenshire. The modern surname spellings include Tochar, Tochor and Tocher and name recordings include the following examples. James Tocher, a witness at the christening of his daughter (name not known) at Forque, Aberdeen on January 31st 1688, whilst James Tochar is recorded on August 4th 1771 at the Chapel of Garloch, Aberdeen. Earlier on March 6th 1766, James Tochor married Janet Mackie at Monqukizzer, Aberdeen whilst in 1805 there is the curious spelling of Jane Toucher who married Robert Duncan at Kirktown of Auchterless. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Toucher, which was dated April 22nd 1683, a witness at Monquhitter Church, Aberdeen, during the reign of King Charles 11, "The Merry Mornarch", 1649 - 1685. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.