Surname Toliver - Meaning and Origin

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P. Toliver

Toliver: What does the surname Toliver mean?

Toliver is a surname of English origin. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse personal name "Toli" combined with the Old English word "ofer," meaning a ridge or a bank. Hence, Toliver could potentially mean 'Toli from the ridge' or 'Toli from the bank'. The surname was often used to denote someone who lived by a bank or ridge. It has undergone various spelling transformations over generations, and some variants include Tolliver, Tolver, and Toliver amongst others. The individuals bearing this surname have been historically distributed in both England and the United States. Institutively, it may not carry a deep or profound significance, like numerous other surnames, the meaning is essentially topographical and possibly linked to geographical features of where ancestors resided. The name Toliver echoes the connectivity of past generations with their environments.

Toliver: Where does the name Toliver come from?

The Toliver surname is most commonly found in the United States today. The surname originated in England in the Middle Ages and was derived from the Old French word "toliuer," which means to twist.

The Toliver name was brought to the United States in the mid to late 1600s by immigrants from England, Ireland, and Scotland. Over time, the name has spread to other parts of the world.

Toliver is among the top 1,000 most common surnames in the United States today. It is most heavily concentrated in the states of Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. This could be due to the fact that those states were historically part of the former Confederacy.

The name is also represented in western states such as Colorado, Texas, Arizona, and California. The Toliver name has also been found in Canada, especially Nova Scotia, where there is a sizable population of people with African heritage.

Toliver has also been found in Caribbean nations including Jamaica, Guyana, and Barbados. Notably, the Toliver family is one of the main characters in the novel "A House for Mr. Biswas" by Nobel Prize-winning author V. S. Naipaul.

The Toliver name is still relatively common in the United States today, and can be found all over the map. It’s a reminder of the rich heritage and history of the American South.

Variations of the surname Toliver

The surname Toliver is a variant spelling of the English and French surname Tolviere. Other variants include Talviere, Tholiver, Tholivier, Tolivier, and Toliviere.

Toliver is derived from the Latin personal name Tollivarius, which is composed of the elements tollus meaning "valiant" and vita meaning "life". The surname may have been adopted to denote a person who was very courageous or daring.

The Toliver surname was also used as an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Tuathail. This name was derived from the Old Irish personal name Tuathal, which is composed of the elements tuath meaning "people" and gal meaning "valor".

In addition to these variants and spellings, the surname Toliver also has numerous surnames that have the same origin. These include Tovar, Tuvel, Tufillier, Tovel, Bartel, and Bottellier. The Scottish spelling Dewar is a variant of the Toliver surname, as is the German name Tedder, which is a derivative of the Old English given name TÊAD, which itself is derived from the name Theodore.

In conclusion, the surname Toliver has many spellings and variants, as well as numerous surnames of the same origin. Alternative spellings of Toliver include Tolviere, Talviere, Tholivier, and Tholiver, while other surnames of the same origin include Tovar, Tuvel, Tufillier, Bartel, Bottellier, Dewar, and Tedder. All of these spellings are derived from the Old English and Irish personal names of the same origin.

Famous people with the name Toliver

• LaChanze: Emmy Award winning Broadway Actress
• Josh Toliver: NTL Canadian Football League Wide Receiver
• Trevor Toliver: American singer-songwriter, musician associated with R&B
• Monroe Toliver: former world record holder in men's triple jump
• Tirica Toler: American model
• Timmy Toliver: former NFL defensive end
• Marcellus Toliver: American boxer
• Malcolm Toliver: former NFL offensive tackle
• Charles Toliver: former NFL punter
• Wilson Toliver: professional baseball player
• Garet Toliver: former college football quarterback
• Austin Tyler Toliver: professional tennis player
• Christian Toliver: professional wrestler
• Everett Toliver: former English footballer
• Javon Toliver: professional basketball player
• Krystal Toliver: American basketball player
• Anna Toliver: American competitive swimmer
• Tyler Toliver: professional swimmer
• Myron J. Toliver: American historian
• Carlton Toliver: former college football player

Other surnames

Tolivera