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Tailor History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Tailor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

During the Middle Ages, the surname of Tailor was used in Scotland. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in Scotland, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Tailor family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Tailor was an occupational name for a tailor. Interestingly, the name Tailor was originally derived from the Anglo Norman French word taillour, meaning tailor. 1

Early Origins of the Tailor family

The surname Tailor was first found in many places throughout Scotland. Some of the early records include: Alexander le Tayllur who was valet of Alexander in 1276; John le Taillur who was held the mill of Selkirk as firmar in 1292; and Brice le Taillur who was one of the Scottish prisoners taken at the capture of Dunbar Castle in 1296. The last entry's year is of great significance to the surname and indeed to much of Scotland; for it was that year that King Edward I invaded Scotland and insisted that the native Scots pay homage to him.

Six persons of this name in the counties of Roxburgh, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Lanark, and Angus all rendered homage, 1296. 2 They held lands in Forfar, Cesseworth, Cunningham, Lanark, and Stirling in Scotland.

Early History of the Tailor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tailor research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1292, 1376, 1645, 1729, 1779, 1784, 1850, 1890 and 1920 are included under the topic Early Tailor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tailor Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Taylor, Taylour, Taylur, Tailler, Taillefer and many more.

Early Notables of the Tailor family

Notable among the family at this time was Edward Taylor (1645-1729), who was hailed as the finest American poet of the 17th century upon the publication of his work in 1920...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tailor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tailor family to Ireland

Some of the Tailor family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tailor migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tailor Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Tailor, who arrived in Maryland in 1634 3
Mr. Nicholas Tailor, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 aboard the ship "Unity", with family 4
Mrs. Tailor, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay in 1635 aboard the ship "Unity", with family 4
George Tailor, aged 15, who arrived in Maryland in 1637 3
Hen Tailor, who landed in Virginia in 1662 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tailor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Tailor, who landed in America in 1809 3

Tailor migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tailor Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Tailor, aged 20, who arrived in Quebec in 1833

Tailor migration to Australia +

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

Tailor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Tailor who was convicted in Hereford, Herefordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Bussorah Merchant" on 24th March 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Joseph Tailor, (b. 1812), aged 17, English errand boy who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years for burglary, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Tailor migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Tailor Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C. Tailor, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 9th November 1852 7

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html