Contents [hide]

Lennox History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Lennox History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Today's generation of the Lennox family inherits a name that was first used by the Scottish tribe known as the Picts. The first family to use the name Lennox lived in the district of Lennox, in the county of Dunbarton.

Early Origins of the Lennox family

The surname Lennox was first found in Lennoxtown, a village, in the parish of Campsie, county of Stirling. "This is a considerable place, situated in the centre of the parish, and deriving its name from the family of Lennox, of Woodhead, on whose property it is built." 1

Of this origin, there can be no doubt, but we include another for the record: "The original name was Leven-ach, the field on the Leven, from the river Leven, which flows through the county. Leven-achs, for a while spelt and written Levenax, and finally Lennox. Arkil, a Saxon, a Baron of Northumbria, who took refuge from the vengeance of the Norman William under the protection of Malcom Canmore, appears to have been the founder of the Lennox family." 2

Another source claims the family was derived from "Egrith, a Saxon noble, who died in 1064, was the ancestor of Alwin Mac Arkyll, who was created Earl of Lennox, temp. Malcolm IV, and was the founder of the family of Lennox." 3

This stronghold of Lennoxtown is still held by many of the family: "Among the most striking objects around Lennoxtown, is the elegant and newly-built mansion of Lennox Castle, the residence of J. L. Kincaid Lennox, Esq., the superior of the village; this splendid edifice was commenced in 1837, and completed in 1841, and is in the boldest style of the old Norman architecture. The principal entrance is by a handsome portcochere on the north front; and from the lofty towers, which overtop the aged trees that formerly adorned the ancient mansion-house of Woodhead, is a prospect of considerable extent and beauty." 1

Some of the first records of the name include: "John of Levenax, the duke of Albany's man, had a safe conduct into England, 1400, and John de Lenox witnessed sale of a tenement in Glasgow, 1428. William Levinax, younger, of Caly, was accused of forethought felony and oppression in Kirkcudbright, 1508, and Donald Levenax, a follower of the earl of Casillis, was respited for murder in 1526 " 4

Early History of the Lennox family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lennox research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1500 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lennox History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lennox Spelling Variations

Repeated and inaccurate translation of Scottish names from Gaelic to English and back resulted in a wide variety of spelling variations with single names. Lennox has appeared Lennox, Lenox, Levenax and others.

Early Notables of the Lennox family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Dukes of Lennox

Lennox Ranking

In the United States, the name Lennox is the 7,197^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Lennox family to Ireland

Some of the Lennox family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lennox migration to the United States +

Many Scottish families suffered enormous hardships and were compelled to leave their country of birth. They traveled to Ireland and Australia, but mostly to the colonies of North America, where many found the freedom and opportunity they sought. It was not without a fight, though, as many were forced to stand up and defend their freedom in the American War of Independence. The ancestors of these Scots abroad have rediscovered their heritage in the last century through the Clan societies and other organizations that have sprung up across North America. Immigration and passenger ship lists show some important early immigrants bearing the name Lennox:

Lennox Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Lennox, who landed in New York in 1783 6
Patrick Lennox, who arrived in New England in 1785 6
David Lennox, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1799 6

Lennox Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ann Lennox, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 6
Alexander, Andrew, Charles, David, John, Patrick, Robert, Thomas and William Lennox all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860
Andrew Lennox, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1875 6
Christina Lennox, aged 33, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1897

Lennox Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

David Lennox, aged 35, who settled in America from Dumbarton, in 1900
Algernon Gordon Lennox, aged 56, who landed in America from Banbary, in 1903
Eddie Lennox, aged 19, who landed in America from Balleymajgger, in 1904
Alesie Lennox, aged 24, who landed in America from London, in 1905
Elizabeth Lennox, aged 16, who landed in America from Derry, Ireland, in 1908
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lennox migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lennox Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Lennox, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1829
Mr. John Lennox, aged 34 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Eliza Morrison" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7

Lennox Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Emeline J. Lennox, aged 40, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1910

Lennox migration to Australia +

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

Lennox Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Lennox, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 8
Miss Helen Lennox, Scottish convict who was convicted in Stirling, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mary Lennox, aged 20, a dairy woman, who arrived in South Australia in 1859 aboard the ship "Clara"

Lennox 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:

Lennox Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Lennox, (b. 1834), aged 25, British gardener travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 10
Mrs. Mary Lennox, (b. 1836), aged 23, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 10
James Lennox, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Owen Glendowner" in 1864

Contemporary Notables of the name Lennox (post 1700) +

David Lennox (1855-1947), American inventor and businessman, founder of Lennox International
Betty Bernice Lennox (b. 1976), American former professional basketball player
William M. Lennox, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964 11
William Lennox, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 1908 11
George E. Lennox, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 18th District, 1960, 1962 11
Frank R. Lennox, American politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 37th District, 1915 11
Dennis Lennox, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 2008 11
Charlotte Lennox (1730-1804), née Ramsay, a Scottish author and poet, most remembered now as the author of The Female Quixote
Robert "Bobby" Lennox MBE (b. 1943), former Scottish professional footballer
Ann "Annie" Lennox OBE (b. 1954), Scottish eight-time Brit Award winning and four-time Grammy Award winning pop musician, cofounder of the Eurythmics
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 39)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html