Taylour History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England-Alt
England
Scotland
Ireland

The distinguished surname Taylour is one of the many names that came to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from the Old French "tailleor" or "tailleur," meaning "a tailor." 1

Early Origins of the Taylour family

The surname Taylour was first found in Sussex, and in Kent where there is record in the "Archaeologia Cantiana" of Walter Taylur in circa 1180. William le Taillur was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1182, and John le talliur is listed in the Assize Rolls of London in 1202. 2

"William Tallator had a grant at Southampton; and also in Kent from King John. The family then became seated in Kent and Sussex. in 1307 Henry le Taillur was of Sussex and in 1324 William Taylor was M.P. from Bramber, as was Richard Taylor in 1379." 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the following: Henry Taliur in Norfolk; Cecil le Tayllour in Cambridgeshire; Roger le Taylur in Lincolnshire; and Richard le Taylor in Northumberland. 4

Early History of the Taylour family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Taylour research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1602, 1613, 1620, 1621, 1629, 1641, 1645, 1649, 1661, 1667, 1699, 1729, 1779, 1890 and 1920 are included under the topic Early Taylour History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Taylour 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 Taylor, Taylour, Taylur, Tailler, Taillefer and many more.

Early Notables of the Taylour family

Outstanding amongst 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; Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) English cleric in the Church of England; Richard Taylor (died 1641), an English lawyer and politician who sat in...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Taylour Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Taylour family to Ireland

Some of the Taylour family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Taylour migration to the United States +

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 Taylour or a variant listed above were:

Taylour Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Taylour, who arrived in Connecticut in 1647 5
Edmond Taylour, who landed in Virginia in 1654 5
Abraham Taylour, who arrived in Virginia in 1660 5
Hugh Taylour, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 5
Joane Taylour, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Taylour (post 1700) +

Auston Taylour Matthews (b. 1997), American professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)