Family name origins & meanings
- English : variant of Telfer.
- Americanized form of the Italian family name Taliaferro (cognate with 1), from tagliare ‘to cut’ + ferro ‘iron’, probably applied as a nickname for a metal worker or a fierce fighter (see genealogical note).
- The Virginia family of Taliaferro (pronounced Tolliver) are descended from London-born Robert Taliaferro or Tolliver, who settled in VA by 1647. He was the grandson of a Venetian, Bartholomew Taliaferro, who had settled in London by 1562. Between 1651 and 1673 Robert patented several sizeable holdings in Gloucester Co., England. He married Sarah Grimes, the daughter of an Anglican priest, and had one daughter and four sons, all of whom produced large and prosperous families.