Show ContentsColliver History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norman name Colliver was originally used for a person who was a greedy person. It derives from the Old French word goulafre, which means glutton.

Early Origins of the Colliver family

The surname Colliver was first found in Suffolk, where they held lands after the Norman Conquest. Roger Gulafre, Lord of Mesnil Bernard, held property in St. Evroult, Normandy in 1061.

Early History of the Colliver family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colliver research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1130 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Colliver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colliver Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Gulliver, Gullever, Gullifer, Gulliford, Galliford, Galliver, Gilliver and many more.

Early Notables of the Colliver family

More information is included under the topic Early Colliver Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Australia Colliver migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Colliver Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Colliver, aged 21, a farmer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Magdelana" 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Colliver (post 1700) +

  • Don Colliver, American producer and director, known for Clean Sweep (2003), 40 a Day (2002) and reDesign (2004)
  • Barry Colliver (b. 1935), former Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon (1954-1955)
  • Horace Stanley Colliver (1874-1957), Canadian businessman and politician who He represented Prince Edward in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1923 to 1926


  1. South Australian Register Wednesday 17th January 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Magdelana 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/magdalena1855.shtml


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