Surnames as First Names: English Surnames — L

Loxley

On to “L” in our tour of little-used surnames of Old English, Norse and Anglo-French origin.

• Laceby — from Laceby, Lincolnshire. Old Norse personal name Leifr “heir” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”
• Lafford — probably from “de la ford.”
• Lainer, Lanier — Old French lainer “woolmonger.”
• Laker — Old English lacu “stream,” or Middle English leyker “player” and “actor.”
• Lambley, Lamley — from one of the places called Lambley. Old English lamb “lamb” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.”
• Lamotte — Huguenot surname. French la motte “the mound,” used specifically of a castle mound.
• Lancelaw — Old French lance levé “with lifted lance.”
• Lanceley — from the personal name Lancelin, a diminutice of Lance < Old German Lanzo. Nothing actually to do with lances, but a short form of names beginning with land “land.”
• Lanchester — from Lanchester. Old English lang “long” + ceaster “Roman fort.” Name of a former British car manufacturer.
• Landel — from Old French launde “glade,” “forest” and “pasture.”
• Langer — from Langar, Nottinghamshire. Old English lang “long” + gāra “spear(-shaped wedge of land).”
• Langham — from one of the places called Langham. Old English lang “long” + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor,” or hamm “enclosure,” “river-meadow.”
• Langley — from one of the places called Langley. Old English lang “long” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.”
• Langton — from one of the places called Langton. Old English lang “long” + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Lanslyn — variant of LANCELEY.
• Larkin — medieval pet-form of Lawrence.
• Lascelles — from Lacelle in France. Old French la celle “the dwelling (of a hermit),” from Latin cella “inner room of a temple.”
• Latham — from Latham, Lancashire or Laytham, Yorkshire. Old Norse hlathum “(place) at the barns.”
• Lawley — from Lawley, Shropshire. Old English personal name Lafa + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.”
• Lazenby — from Lazenby, Yorkshire or Lazonby, Cumbria. Old Norse lesysingi “freedman” + bý “farmstead,” “village” and “settlement.”
• Leale — Old French leial “loyal” and “faithful.”
• Leathley — from Leathley, Yorkshire. Old English hlith “slope” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.”
• Ledger — from the Old German personal name Leodegar “spear of the people.”
• Leleu — from Old French le lou “the wolf.”
• Lenham — from Lenham, Kent. Old English personal name *Leana + hām “homestead,” “village,” “estate,” “manor.”
• Lenton — from Lenton, Lincolnshire. Old English personal name Leofa (a short form of names beginning in lēof “dear”) + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Levenger — from the Old English personal name Leofgar “dear spear.”
• Leverett — from the Old English personal name Leofræd “dear counsel” or Anglo-French leveret “young hare.”
• Levis, Leavis — from the Old English personal name Leofhyse “dear young man/warrior.”
• Leyland — from Leyland, Lancashire. Old English *læge “untilled” + land “land.” British Leyland was another car manufacturer.
• Lidney — from Lydney, Gloucestershire, site of an important Romano-British temple complex to the Celtic God Nodens. Almost certainly the theonym Lludd (a later Welsh form of Nodens) + Old English ēg “island.”
• Linley, Lindley — from one of the places called Linley or Lindley. Old English līn “flax” + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.”
• Linton — from one of the places called Linton. Saw sporadic use in late nineteenth century, but nothing to write home about. Old English līn “flax” + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Litton — from one of the places called Litton. Old English hlith “slope” + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Litwin — from the Old English personal name Leohtwine “bright friend.”
• Livsey — from the Old English personal name Leofsige “dear victory.”
• Lock(e) — Old English loc “lock (of hair),” or Middle English loke “(river) lock.”
• Lomax — from a lost village of the name in Lancashire. Probably Old English *lumm “pool” + halh “nook.”
• Loven — from the Old English personal name *Leofhun “dear young bear,” and Louvain in France.
• Loveren — from the Old English girl’s name Leofrun “dear secret/rune.”
• Loxley, Locksley — from one of the places called Loxley; associated with Robin Hood. Old English personal name/byname Locc + lēah “wood,” “woodland clearing,” “glade,” “pasture” and “meadow.” Or, then again, maybe the Lox- shares the same source as LUXTON’s Lux- …
• Luxton — from one of the places called Luxton in Devon. The first element is uncertain, but a strong case could be made for an ultimate derivation from Lugus + tūn “enclosure,” “farmstead,” “estate,” “manor,” “village.”
• Lyall — from the Middle English persoan names Lyon “lion” or Lionel “little lion.”
• Lyner — Old French linier “maker/seller of linen.”
• Lytton — variant of LITTON.
• Lyward — from the Old English personal name Leofweard “dear guardian.”

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