Lad Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Lad is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who worked as a servant or a page. This surname was originally derived from the Old English word Ladde, an English occupational name for a servant. 1 2 Conversely, another source claims that name was derived differently as "in Old English and Scotch, a lade means a canal or duct for water. " 3 In this latter scenario, the name would have been again an occupational name for one who works or lives near a canal.

Early Origins of the Lad family

The surname Lad was first found in Somerset where Godric Ladda was one of the first records of the name c. 1100. Later Richard Ladde was listed in Northumberland c. 1175 and Walter le Ladd was listed in Kent. 1 The Hundredorum Rolls of lists: Roger Ladde in Huntingdonshire and Thomas Ladde in Cambridgeshire. 2

Early History of the Lad family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lad research. Another 38 words (3 lines of text) covering the year 1664 is included under the topic Early Lad History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lad Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Lad has appeared include Ladd, Ladde, Laddey, Ladds, Lade, Ladey, Laddy and others.

Early Notables of the Lad family

Notables of the family at this time include

Ladd of Somerset

Migration of the Lad family to Ireland

Some of the Lad family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lad family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Lad arrived in North America very early: Daniel Ladd, who settled in Salem in 1633; John Ladd, who settled in Virginia in 1653; Charles and Michael Laddy, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1867.

Contemporary Notables of the name Lad (post 1700) +

Lad S. Stacey (b. 1926), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 44th District, 1979-90 4

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html