Show ContentsLandreth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Landreth family

The surname Landreth was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat, and there has long been a place named Landreth. By the 17th century, records show the name in Calstrem, (Coldstream) Scotland where a death record of Gorege Landreth, son of Patrick Landreth was listed in 1690. James Landreth was listed in Hume in 1717 and Williams Landreth was a tenant in Sweethope in 1777.

Early History of the Landreth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Landreth research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Landreth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landreth 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 Landreth include Landreth, Landreath, Landres and others.

Early Notables of the Landreth family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • the Landreth family of Cornwall

Landreth Ranking

In the United States, the name Landreth is the 5,365th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


United States Landreth 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 Landreth or a variant listed above:

Landreth Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Landreth, who settled in Maryland in 1765
Landreth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Cuthbert Landreth, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1808
  • Robert Landreth, who was naturalized in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1832
  • David Landreth, who settled in Philadelphia in 1836
  • J L Landreth, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
Landreth Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mrs. Landreth, aged 28, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
  • William L. Landreth, who landed in America, in 1906
  • Leopold Landreth, aged 60, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
  • Clarence Landreth, aged 41, who settled in America, in 1911
  • Marie E. Landreth, aged 30, who settled in America, in 1919
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Landreth migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Landreth Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • George Landreth, who settled in Quebec in 1831

New Zealand Landreth 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:

Landreth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Landreth, Scottish settler from Edinburgh travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 27th April 1860 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Landreth (post 1700) +

  • David Landreth, English-born, American co-founder with his brother Cuthbert of the D. Landreth Seed Company in Philadelphia in 1784, eponym of the David Landreth School, Philadelphia
  • Orian M. "Toad" Landreth (1904-1996), American head football coach at the University of Arizona in 1938
  • Chris Landreth (b. 1961), American Academy Award and Cannes File Festival Award winning animator for his short film Ryan (2004), two-time Genie Award winner
  • Sonny Landreth (b. 1951), American blues musician from southwest Louisiana
  • Sidney Floyd Landreth, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1912, 1932, 1940, 1944; Member of Virginia State Senate, 1950 4
  • Olin Henry Landreth, American politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 31st District, 1915 4
  • Kathryn Landreth, American politician, U.S. Attorney for Nevada, 1993-98 4
  • Edward Landreth, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 2000 4
  • Greg Landreth, New Zealand explorer whose team made the first ascent of the summit of Mount Foster on 29 January 1996, eponym of the Landreth Glacier, Antarctica
  • Larry Robert Landreth (b. 1955), Canadian retired Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1976 to 1977

USS Arizona
  • Mr. Ralph W. Landreth, American Gunner's Mate Second Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived 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. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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