The name Golliver comes from the ancient Norman culture that was established in Britain after the Conquest of 1066. It was a name for a greedy person. It derives from the Old French word goulafre, which means glutton.
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Early Origins of the Golliver family
The surname Golliver 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.
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Early History of the Golliver family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Golliver research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1130 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Golliver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Golliver Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Gulliver, Gullever, Gullifer, Gulliford, Galliford, Galliver, Gilliver and many more.
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Early Notables of the Golliver family
More information is included under the topic Early Golliver Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Golliver family
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Golliver or a variant listed above were: Robert and Joan Gullever, who sailed to Virginia in 1620 or 1621; Thomas Gullifer sailed to Barbados in 1635; Anthony Gulliver sailed to Massachusetts in 1666.
England
