Taliaferro

Taliaferro, also spelled Talliaferro, Tagliaferro, Talifero, Taliafero or Taliferro and sometimes anglicised to Tellifero, Tolliver (/ˈtɒlɪvər/ TOL-iv-ər) or Toliver,[1] is a prominent family in eastern Virginia and Maryland.

The Taliaferros (originally Tagliaferro [ˌtaʎʎaˈfɛrro], which means "ironcutter" in Italian) are one of the early families who settled in Virginia in the 17th century.

[3] Jefferson enclosed his sketch of the coat of arms of the Tagliaferro family as reported to him by a friend in Florence, Italy.

[4] Unknown to Jefferson,[citation needed] Taliaferro appears to arise due to a transcription error and a variation of the Italian surname Tagliaferro, which is, even today, widespread in Italy especially in Lombardy, but it also has representation in the Bolognese, Florentine, and Lazio regions.

From the etymological point of view, the term tagliaferro indicates a soldier skilled in piercing the opponent or the shield of the adversary with his weapons, which cleave/slice medieval armor, such as with a stroke of ax or sword.