Show ContentsLunn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Lunn family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in an area that was referred to as the laund, which was Old Norman word meaning the open space in a forest or the lawn. There were a number of locations in England with this topograghic place-name including Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Early Origins of the Lunn family

The surname Lunn was first found in Yorkshire at Lund, a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the union of Beverley, Bainton-Beacon division of the wapentake of Harthill. There is also a Lund in Lancashire in the parish of Kirkham, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness but this parish was constituted in 1840.

Early History of the Lunn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lunn research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1183 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lunn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lunn 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 Lunn include Lund, Lun, Lunn, Lwn, Lunt and others.

Early Notables of the Lunn family

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

Lunn Ranking

In the United States, the name Lunn is the 4,993rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Lunn family to Ireland

Some of the Lunn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Lunn 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 Lunn or a variant listed above:

Lunn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Luke Lunn, who landed in Virginia in 1663 2
  • John Lunn, who landed in Maryland in 1665 2
  • George Lunn, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 2
Lunn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Sarah Lunn, who landed in New York in 1864 2
  • Matthew Lunn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 2
  • Thomas Lunn, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1886 2

Australia Lunn migration to Australia +

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

Lunn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Lunn, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Blundell" on 13th March 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3
  • William R. Lunn, aged 22, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Standard" 4
  • Henry Lunn, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Standard" 4
  • Benjamin Lunn (aged 28) arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Eliza"

New Zealand Lunn 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:

Lunn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Henry Lunn, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Whitby" in 1841
  • Sarah Lunn, aged 28, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
  • James Lunn, aged 11, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
  • George Lunn, aged 8, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
  • Charles Lunn, aged 6, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lunn (post 1700) +

  • Joseph S. Lunn, American politician, Mayor of Oneonta, New York, 1915-16
  • Joseph N. Lunn, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from Wyoming, 1934
  • George Richard Lunn (1873-1948), American politician, Mayor of Schenectady, New York, 1912-13, 1916-17, 1920-22; U.S. Representative from New York 30th District, 1917-19; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1920, 1924 (alternate), 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940 (alternate) ; Candidate in Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from New York, 1920; Lieutenant Governor of New York, 1923-24
  • George R. Lunn Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 45th District, 1932
  • Roy Lunn (1925-2017), English-born, American head of engineering at American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1971 to 1987, credited as being the "father of the modern SUV" and "the godfather of the Ford GT40."
  • Enoch Lunn, English professional association football player
  • Gladys Anne Lunn (1908-1988), English athlete who competed in the 1934 British Empire Games
  • Thomas Henry 'Tommy' Lunn (1883-1960), English professional footballer
  • Louise Kirkby Lunn (1873-1930), English contralto
  • Wilfred Makepeace Lunn (1942-2023), British inventor, prop maker and television presenter, best known for his regular appearances on the 1960s and 1970s children's television show Vision On
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Cornwall
  • Douglas Lunn (d. 1942), British Able Seaman aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blundell
  4. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STANDARD 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1852.shtml
  5. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A


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