Show ContentsLivesey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient history of the Livesey name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the township of Livesey which was in the parish of Blackburn in the county of Lancashire. The Livesey surname is a Habitation name that was originally derived from the place-names of pre-existing towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Livesey family

The surname Livesey was first found in Lancashire at Livesey, a township, in the parish, union, and Lower division of the hundred of Blackburn. "This place gave name to a family who resided here, and were owners of the greater part of the township. James Levesey, in the reign of Edward VI. held the estate as a manor, as did his descendant, James Levesey, in the 9th of James I." 1

Early History of the Livesey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Livesey research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Livesey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Livesey Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Livesey include Livesey, Liversay, Liversey, Livezey and others.

Early Notables of the Livesey family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Sir Michael Livesey of Kent


United States Livesey migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Livesey or a variant listed above:

Livesey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mark Livesey, who landed in Maryland in 1649-1650 2
Livesey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Livesey, who settled in Philadelphia in 1833
  • James Livesey, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 2
  • Thomas Livesey, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1863
  • James Livesey, aged 52, who immigrated to the United States, in 1894
  • Arthur Livesey, aged 16, who immigrated to America from Blackburn, in 1899
Livesey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Ida Livesey, aged 2, who settled in America from Burnley, England, in 1907
  • Lina Livesey, aged 26, who landed in America from Burnley, England, in 1907
  • Anthony Samuel Livesey, aged 18, who landed in America from Levenshulme, England, in 1910
  • George Livesey, aged 24, who landed in America from Bolton, England, in 1910
  • Anna Livesey, aged 46, who immigrated to the United States from Preston, England, in 1911
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Livesey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Livesey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Livesey, aged 29, a blacksmith, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Caroline" 3

New Zealand Livesey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Livesey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Jabez Livesey, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 4
  • Mrs. Mary Livesey, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Livesey (post 1700) +

  • William "Bill" Livesey, American baseball manager and executive
  • Joseph William Livesey (1794-1884), English temperance campaigner, social reformer, local politician, newspaper proprietor and philanthropist
  • Charles Edward "Charlie" Livesey (1938-2005), English footballer
  • Daniel Richard "Danny" Livesey (b. 1984), English football player
  • Sir Michael Livesey (b. 1614), 1st Baronet, English regicide of King Charles I
  • Sir Harry Livesey GBE (1860-1932), British civil engineer
  • Margot Livesey (b. 1953), Scottish born writer
  • Barry Livesey (b. 1959), British stage and film actor
  • Jack Livesey (1901-1961), British film actor
  • Anthony "Tony" Livesey (b. 1964), British journalist and broadcaster
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Reginald Livesey, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 5


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. South Australian Register Thursday 26th April 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Caroline 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caroline1855.shtml
  4. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  5. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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