Longwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

The name Longwell is an old name from Normandy. It comes from when the family lived in Normandy, at Longueville.

Early Origins of the Longwell family

The surname Longwell was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy. The name was "a branch of the house of Giffard, barons of Langueville and Bolbec near Dieppe, Normandy. Osberne de Longueville or Bolbec, with William de Bolbec, Robert Malet, and Gilbert de Menill c. 990, gave the church of Pictariville, Normandy, to religious uses." 1

"Henry de Longavilla in 1165 held Lovetot Overton (now called Orton) Longueville in Huntingdonshire, England. Roger de Longueville is mentioned in the same county about 1200 as was William in Herts, and Richard in Buckinghamshire 1190-98. In the early part of the fourteenth century, the existing church of Overton-Longueville was built by one the family, supposed to be commemorated by the mutilated effigy of a knight placed between the chancel and the North chantry. Some have, assigned it to a much earlier date. The knight lies cross legged, with a heater shield on his right arm, and a couchant lion at his feet. In any case it is clear that he was a soldier of the Cross, and the ghastly legend attached to him, and preserved by Bishop Kennet, must be based on some desperate encounter with a Paynum in the Holy Land." 2

"The descendants of the Norman Longueville became Lords of Overton. co. Huntingdon, and Wolverton, Bucks; and in one branch vested the barony of Grey de Ruthin. During the great civil war, they arrayed themselves under the royal banner, and suffered, in consequence, loss and confiscation. The chief of the house, Sir Edward Longueville, of Wolverton, was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia by Charles I. " 3

Early History of the Longwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Longwell research. Another 286 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1397, 1464, 1619, 1646, 1656, 1679, 1746 and 1747 are included under the topic Early Longwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Longwell Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Longwell include Longeville, Longevilles, Longueville, Longuevilles, Longville, Longvilles, Longevil, Longvils, Longvile, Longviles, Longevil, Longevils, Langueville, Longevile, Longeviles, Languille, Longuevil, Langeville, Longuevils, Longuevile, Longueviles, de Longeville, de Longevilles, de Longueville, de Longuevilles, de Longville, de Longvilles, Loungeville, Loungville, Longeville de and many more.

Early Notables of the Longwell family

More information is included under the topic Early Longwell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Longwell Ranking

In the United States, the name Longwell is the 18,593^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Longwell migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Longwell were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Longwell were

Longwell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Longwell, who landed in Virginia in 1699 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Longwell (post 1700) +

John Burt Longwell, American football player and 16th head college football coach for the New York University Violets
Mark Longwell (b. 1960), retired American soccer defender
Ryan Walker Longwell (b. 1974), retired American NFL football placekicker
Robert Hemphill Longwell (b. 1871), American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Jefferson County, 1907-09 6
J. H. Longwell, American politician, Mayor of Columbia, Missouri, 1963-67 6
Gary Longwell (b. 1971), Irish rugby player, member of the Irish national team in 2000

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html