Lydia History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Lydia family

The surname Lydia was first found in Lancashire at Lydiate, a village and civil parish of Halsall, union of Ormskirk, hundred of West Derby. Now part of Mersyside, the village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Leiate and was held by Roger of Poitou at that time. 1 "In the reign of Richard II., this place was possessed by a family of the local name, whose heiress married into the Blackburn family; and an heiress of the latter conveyed Lydiate to Thomas, son of Sir John Ireland, of the Hutt, and Hale" 2

By 1202, the place name was listed as Liddigate. Literally the place name means "place at the swing-gate," from the Old English "hlid-geat." 3 Lydiate Ash is a small hamlet in Worcestershire.

Another branch of the family was found at Lidgate a parish, in the union of Newmarket, hundred of Risbridge in Suffolk. It is difficult to determine which of the parishes came first, but "near the church is a spacious and lofty mount with some remains of extensive intrenchments, probably the site of a strong castle.

Lydgate, the poet, was born at this place, from which he took his name." 2 John Lydgate of Bury (c. 1370-1451) was a monk and prolific poet who wrote over 145,000 lines. By example, his work Troy Book was over 30,000 lines based on a translation of the 13th century Latin writer Guido delle Colonne. He was an admirer of Geoffrey Chaucer and a close friend of his son, Thomas.

Early History of the Lydia family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lydia research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1173, 1439, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Lydia History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lydia Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lydiat, Lydiatt, Liddiat, Liddiatt, Liddiard, Lidiard, Lydiate and many more.

Early Notables of the Lydia family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Lydiat family of Lancashire

Lydia migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lydia Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Lydia, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Lydia (post 1700) +

Jasmine Lydia Bligh (1913-1991), one of the first three BBC Television Service presenters in the 1930s
Lydia Martynovna Auster (1912-1993), Soviet and Estonian composer
Lydia Sokolova (1896-1974), English ballerina
Lydia Alfonsi (1928-2022), born Lidia Alfonsi, an Italian actress, born in Parma, appointed Grand Officer of the Italian Republic
Lydia Benecke (b. 1982), German criminal psychologist and writer of popular science non-fiction
Lydia Wellington, New York City Ballet dancer
Lydia Joyce Wevers ONZM (1950-2021), New Zealand literary historian, literary critic, editor, and book reviewer, an academic at Victoria University of Wellington
Lydia Alice Jacoby (b. 2004), American competitive swimmer, at the 2020 Summer Olympics winning gold and silver medals
Lydia Jane Lipscombe (b. 1979), New Zealand swimmer who competed in the women's 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m backstroke events at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Lydia Wideman (1920-2019), Finish gold medalist cross-country skier at the 1952 Winter Olympics

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)