The name Gollifer is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Gollifer was a Norman name used for a greedy person. It derives from the Old French word goulafre, which means glutton.
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Early Origins of the Gollifer family
The surname Gollifer 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 Gollifer family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gollifer research. Another 113 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1130 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Gollifer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Gollifer 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.
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Early Notables of the Gollifer family
More information is included under the topic Early Gollifer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Gollifer family
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Gollifer name or one of its variants: 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
