Find out how popular the last name Tolliver is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Tolliver.

Tolliver, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Tolliver surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tolliver in America

Tolliver is the 2958th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tolliver surname appeared 12,128 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Tolliver.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tolliver to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Tolliver

The surname Tolliver originated in England in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English words "toll" meaning "tax" and "hiver" meaning "collector". The name likely referred to someone who collected tolls or taxes on roads, bridges, or at market towns.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, where a Roger Toliver was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. The name appeared in various spellings such as Tolyfer, Tolyfar, and Tollyver in medieval records.

The Tolliver surname is also found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which were census records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests the name was present in different parts of England during that time.

In the 14th century, a John Tolyfer was recorded in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1327. Additionally, a William Tolifer was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, indicating the name's presence in the West Midlands region.

Notable individuals with the Tolliver surname include Sir John Tolliver (c. 1480-1542), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire during the reign of Henry VIII. Another prominent figure was Thomas Tolliver (1615-1690), a Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of the First Church in Boston in the 17th century.

Other historical figures include Captain William Tolliver (1670-1738), an English sea captain and explorer who sailed to the West Indies and North America in the early 18th century. Additionally, there was Jonathan Tolliver (1745-1821), a Revolutionary War soldier who fought in the Battle of Guilford Court House in 1781.

In the 19th century, the name was associated with John Tolliver (1810-1882), a prominent farmer and landowner in Kentucky, who was involved in the famous Tolliver-Martin feud, a long-running conflict between two families in Rowan County, Kentucky.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tolliver

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Tolliver.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Tolliver was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Tolliver has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Tolliver was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Tolliver, please contact us.

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