Show ContentsLovejoy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Lovejoy is an ancient Anglo-Saxon name. It was a name given to a person who was a person who because of their personal qualities was referred to as Lovejoy. This nickname surname was originally derived from the Old English word lof and the Old French word joie when combined denoted those individuals who were loving and affectionate.

Early Origins of the Lovejoy family

The surname Lovejoy was first found in Kent where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the Lovejoy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lovejoy research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1207 is included under the topic Early Lovejoy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lovejoy 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 Lovejoy has appeared include Lovejoy, Lovejay, Luvjoy and others.

Early Notables of the Lovejoy family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Lovejoy of Kent

Lovejoy Ranking

In the United States, the name Lovejoy is the 3,706th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


United States Lovejoy migration to the United States +

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 Lovejoy arrived in North America very early:

Lovejoy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Lovejoy, who landed in Massachusetts in 1633-1634 2
  • Roger Lovejoy, who settled in Virginia in 1649
Lovejoy Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mark Lovejoy, who landed in Virginia in 1714 2
  • Andrew Lovejoy, who arrived in Virginia in 1724 2
  • William Lovejoy, who settled in Virginia in 1729
Lovejoy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Lovejoy, who arrived in New Orleans in 1821
  • C. Lovejoy, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852

Contemporary Notables of the name Lovejoy (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Eugene Lovejoy III (1941-2021), American ecologist, President of the Amazon Biodiversity Center, a Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and a university professor in the Environmental Science and Policy department at George Mason University
  • Curtis Lovejoy (1957-2021), American two-time gold medalist Paralympic swimmer from Atlanta, Georgia
  • Madeline Lovejoy, American actress, known for Bruce Almighty (2003), Barnyard (2006) and Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)
  • Alexander "Alec" Lovejoy (1893-1946), American actor, known for Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941), Swing! (1938) and Black and Tan (1929)
  • Katie Lovejoy, American Humanitas Prize winning writer
  • Frank Lovejoy (1914-1962), American Primetime Emmy Award nominated film actor, known for his roles in The Adventures of McGraw (1957), House of Wax (1953) and In a Lonely Place (1950)
  • Deirdre Helen Lovejoy (b. 1962), American actress, known for The Wire (2002), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) and Step Up (2006)
  • Arthur Oncken Lovejoy (1873-1962), American philosopher and intellectual historian, former Professor at Johns Hopkins University
  • Asa Lawrence Lovejoy (1808-1882), American pioneer and politician, one of the founders of the city of Portland, Oregon
  • Benjamin N. Lovejoy (b. 1984), American professional NHL ice hockey defenseman
  • ... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grover Shoe factory
  • Mr. O. Samuel Lovejoy, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died 3


Suggested Readings for the name Lovejoy +

  • The Lovejoy Genealogy by Lena Lovejoy Clarke.

  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. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1


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