Taylor (surname)

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This article is about the surname Taylor. For other uses, see Taylor (disambiguation).

Taylor
Family Name
Pronunciation TAY-ler'
Meaning "a cutter-out of cloth"
Region of origin England, Scotland
Related names Portnov, Schneider, Szabo
Popularity Behind the Name 
Wikipedia articles All pages beginning with Taylor

Taylor (\ta(y)-lor\) is a Middle English occupational surname of Old French origin, derived from the Norman French word taileur ("a cutter-out of cloth").[1][2] First historical evidence of the surname dates to County of Somerset in 1182. Its increasing popularity through the centuries is attributed to refugees from continental Europe with the equivalent surname (Russian/"Portnov", German/"Schneider", Hungarian/"Szabo") entering Britain, and switching to the English language translation "Taylor". According to the UK National Trust surname profiler, Taylor is the fifth most common surname in Great Britain. It is also common in other English speaking countries (especially Australia, Canada, and New Zealand), but has a low incidence in Ireland.[1][2] Scottish namebearers in the Cowal region are historically associated with the Taylor sept, their surname evolving from the nickname Taillear Dubh ("black tailor"), to the surname Mac-an-taillear ("son of the tailor"), to present-day Taylor.

Taylor has been a common masculine given name since the 19th century, and common feminine given name since the late 1970s in English language countries.[3][4]

[edit] Notable people

[edit] References

  1. ^ Reaney, P.H. (1997). A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, Rev. 3rd ed.. ISBN 0198600925. 
  2. ^ Surname: Taylor. surnamedb.com. Retrieved on 2008-02-01.
  3. ^ Evans, C.K. (2006). The Great Big Book of Baby Names. Publications International Ltd.
  4. ^ Taylor: name meaning and origin. thinkbabynames.com.
WP Anthroponymy notice This page or section lists people with the surname Taylor. If an internal link for a specific person referred you to this page, you may wish to add the given name(s) to that link.