Locklear History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient name of Locklear finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from a name for a person who was a locksmith. 1 Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly common in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith, and wright.

"It is interesting to notice that while Lockyer has predominated over Locksmith in our personal nomenclature, yet locksmith has nearly ousted lockyer as an occupative term." 2

Early Origins of the Locklear family

The surname Locklear was first found in Somerset, where Kirby's Quest listed some of the first entries for the family: Nicholas le Lokyere; and Lucas le Lokier as both residing there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of Edward III's reign.) 3 And this tradition continued through the years as the Register of the University of Oxford lists William Lokier from Somerset in 1604. 2

London had early records for the family too as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Henry le Lockier there at that time. 4

Early History of the Locklear family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Locklear research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1294, 1611, 1685, 1698 and 1771 are included under the topic Early Locklear History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Locklear Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Locklear family name include Lockyer, Lockyers, Lockier, Lokier, Locker, Lockweer and many more.

Early Notables of the Locklear family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Locklear Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Locklear Ranking

In the United States, the name Locklear is the 2,939^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Locklear family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Locklear surname or a spelling variation of the name include : George Lockyear, who settled in Virginia in 1663; Thomas Lockyer, who came to Virginia in 1663; and Jacob and Barbara Lockyer, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1766..

Contemporary Notables of the name Locklear (post 1700) +

Lexus Locklear (b. 1976), born Brandi Janeen Sommerville, American actress who has appeared in 30 titles
Vice Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III (b. 1954), American Director, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
Sean Hilary Locklear (b. 1981), American football offensive tackle in the National Football League
Gene Locklear (b. 1949), American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1973 through 1977
Ormer Leslie "Lock" Locklear (1891-1920), American daredevil stunt flyer and actor during and immediately after World War I, killed after an aerial maneuver while filming Locklear's second movie, The Skywayman
Heather Deen Locklear (b. 1961), American six-time Golden Globe nominated actress best known for her television roles as Sammy Jo Carrington on Dynasty, Officer Stacy Sheridan on T.J. Hooker and more
Richard Locklear, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2008 6
Ed Locklear, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1948 6
E. C. Locklear, American Democratic Party politician, Arizona Democratic State Chair, 1945 6
Charles Locklear, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 33rd District, 1998 6

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html