Tailfer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Tailfer family

The surname Tailfer was first found in Huntingdon, where they were descended from Taillefer of Normandy, jester to King William, Duke of Normandy, who asked the Duke for a favor at Hastings. Telfer put his horse to the gallop charging before all the rest to the amazement of the English soldiers. "A name of great antiquity. The exploits of the noble jouglere Taillefer at the battle of Hastings are well-known. William, Count of Angoulesme, in a battle against the Northmen engaged their king Storis, and with one stroke of his sword Durissima, forged by the great Wayland Smith, cut in two his body and cuirass. Hence he acquired the sobriquet of Taillefer, or 'cut iron.' " 1 He was granted lands in Huntingdon, but was invited by David, Earl of Huntingdon, later to be King of Scotland, to attend him in Scotland and was granted lands in Lanarkshire.

Early History of the Tailfer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tailfer research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1500, 1643, 1683 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Tailfer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tailfer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Telfer, Talfer, Telford, Telpher, Talifero, Tailyefer, Telfair and many more.

Early Notables of the Tailfer family

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

Migration of the Tailfer family to Ireland

Some of the Tailfer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tailfer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tailfer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Patrick Tailfer, who landed in Georgia in 1733 2
Patrick and Mary Tailfer who settled in Georgia in 1734

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)