Telfer

Telfer Meaning & Origin

About Telfer
The surname Telfer is of Scottish origin and is derived from the occupational name "telfer," meaning "a worker in iron or steel." It is derived from the Old English word "telfere," which itself comes from the Old Norse word "tjaldari," meaning "a tent maker." The name was likely given to individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers, indicating their profession. Over time, the surname Telfer has evolved and become a hereditary family name passed down through generations.

🌍 Origin
📏 Surname Length
💬 Number of Syllables
🔠 Starting Letter
Discover Your Ancestry with 23andMe Logo

Discover Your Ancestry with 23andMe

Explore your ancestry and health insights with exclusive savings.

Save 15%-60% this holiday season

Popularity

Surname Popularity by Ethnicity

The surname Telfer is a unique entry in our records. Discover more about its distribution and characteristics:

  • Number of People with the name Telfer: 1,600
  • Overall Popularity: Less than 0.01% (a rare surname)
  • Ranking: 17,572
  • Frequency per 100k people: 0.54

Below is the ethnic distribution of the surname Telfer based on recent US Census records. This is a brief glimpse into the diverse backgrounds of people carrying this surname.

Ranking information for the surname Telfer is not currently available.

Pronunciation

📇 Metaphone
TLFR
🗽 NYSIIS
TA
🔊 Soundex
T04106
🎵 Syllabic Pronunciation
T EH1 L F ER0
🌐 IPA
/ˈtɛlfər/
🔊 Double Metaphone
('TLFR', '')
🈯 Cross-Lingual Phonetic
T416

Accessibility & Communication

How to write the name Telfer in Braille

Here's how to represent Telfer in Braille, each pattern of raised dots corresponds to a letter in the name.

The name Telfer in braille

How to sign the name Telfer using Sign Language

The image below shows how you can spell Telfer using American Sign Language (ASL). In sign language, each hand shape corresponds to a specific a letter of the name.

The name Telfer in sign language

Numerology