The Taylor Name

One of the first things we need to consider in researching our Taylor family is their origin. Here are the possibilities as I see them so far:

• They were English, which is to say British. Family trees that hook into Charles Taylor and wife Barbary from Orange County, Virginia seem to suggest that family was British. (And by the way, I am so far NOT ready to spend time trying to connect my Taylor line to the Charles Taylor story - there are much bigger questions closer in time to my Sussex County family to answer first.) But were English Taylor's Loyalists? That is a different question for a different post.
• They were Irish.  I've seen a couple cases already where the name TYLER became TAYLOR.
• They were German. Considering just how much German lineage is in this part of my family tree, it would "fit" better if the Taylor family had German origins. Here is some information to keep in mind about the Taylor name:

The Schneider surname was generally adopted by one who made outer garments; a tailor. From the the German verb schneiden, meaning "to cut."

SCHNIEDER is another German variant spelling, while SNYDER, SNIDER, and SNEIDER are Dutch spellings of this common surname. The spelling SCHNYDER is often of Swiss origin. ZNAIDER is a similar Polish variant. SCHNEIDER is similar to the common English surname TAYLOR.

However, so far I have seen no indication of occupations associated with any Taylor family other than perhaps farming. And it seems hard to think that any Snyder family got off the boat and immediately changed their surname to Taylor, although I suppose it's possible. The only connection I have found so far between any Snyder and Taylor was in one 1818 deed in Sussex county that involved George Snyder late of Greenwich, where heirs listed included MYERS, SNYDER, HAUP, CUTZ, RYMAN, SUTTON, RANDALL and Samuel TAYLOR. Interesting, eh?