Contents [hide]

Toler History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Toler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The origins of the Toler surname lie with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name Toler began when someone in that family worked as a person charged with the duty of collecting taxes. The surname Toler is derived from the Old English word tollere, which means tax-gatherer. 1

We must take a moment to explore the origin of the Coat of Arms. And to do so, we provide this interesting quotation: "I turned to Anselme's great work on the peers and nobles of France, in hopes of finding, under his account of the Sovereign Counts of Toulouse, some reference to works which might enable me to pursue the inquiry. The volume was accordingly opened which contains the history of the Counts of Toulouse, when, to my extreme astonishment, I recognized the arms of the English Tolers or Towlers at the head of the history of that great house. Their arms were the hereditary emblems of that almost kingly race in all its branches—the well-known 'Cross of Toulouse' being a cross fleury voided (i.e. in skeleton), which Enghsh heralds had described as a cross fleury surmounted by another cross. Of course all these various families of Toler, Toller, and others, bearing the Cross of Toulouse, were identified as one in origin, and as, no doubt, descendants of the princely house whose name and arms they have borne from the eleventh century." 2

Early Origins of the Toler family

The surname Toler was first found in Cornwall and West Dorset where the name was derived from the River Toller (now named River Hooke.) Locals Toller Whelme, Toller Fratrum, and Toller Porcorum can still be found in this county today. Collectivelly, they date date back to the Domesday Survey when they were listed as Tolre. 3 "Toller is an old Celtic river-name meaning 'hollow stream.'" 4

However, the first record of the family was found in Lincolnshire where Robert Toller was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1199. Later, William and John Tollere were found in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1251 and 1255. 5

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Willelmus Toller; and Robertus Toller as both holding lands there at that time. 6

To the north in Scotland, "Hugh Toller, Ambrose Toller, and Nicholas Toller witnessed sale of land in Glasgow, c. 1280-1290. Elene Tollare, wife of Willelmus Dubrelle in Inverkethine, is on record in 1392." 7

Early History of the Toler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toler research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1428, 1602, 1692, 1732, 1761, 1795, 1800, 1821 and 1827 are included under the topic Early Toler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Toler Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Toler has appeared include Toler, Tolar, Toller, Tollers, Tolers, Towler and many more.

Early Notables of the Toler family

Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Toler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Toler Ranking

In the United States, the name Toler is the 3,383^rd most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Toler family to Ireland

Some of the Toler family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 153 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Toler migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Toler arrived in North America very early:

Toler Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Toler, who arrived in Baltimore in 1831
Ellen Toler, aged 17, who landed in New York in 1854 9
Henry Toler, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 9
Mary Toler, aged 19, who landed in New York in 1854 9

Toler Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

David Toler, aged 1, who landed in America, in 1902
Uelene Toler, aged 18, who landed in America, in 1905
Emil Toler, aged 16, who landed in America, in 1906
Minna Toler, aged 16, who settled in America from Westholan, Austria, in 1907
George Toler, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Toler migration to Australia +

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

Toler Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Toler, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Toler (post 1700) +

Tommy Toler, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wayne County, 1983-84 11
Ray Toler, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wyoming County, 1942; Chair of Wyoming County Republican Party, 1949-50 11
Hopeful Toler, American politician, U.S. Consul in Ponce, 1832-36; Buenos Aires, 1836 11
E. M. Toler, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Louisiana State Senate, 1950 11
Dustin Toler, American politician, Candidate for Oklahoma State House of Representatives 75th District, 2002 11
Buren H. Toler, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wyoming County, 1960 11
Dan Toler, American guitarist who was a member of the Gregg Allman Band
Lynn C. Toler (b. 1959), American judge on the television series Divorce Court
William Pinkney Toler (1826-1899), American artist
Sidney Hooper Toler (1874-1947), American actor, playwright, and theatre director
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Toler Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Regi et patriæ fidelis
Motto Translation: Faithful to king and law.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-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)
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html