Lewis Family Crest and Name History

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Lewis PDF Surname History


The Ancient History Of The Distinguished Surname Lewis

Lewis

Contents

Lewis history with Lewis Family Crest
Lewis Motto Translated
Suggested Readings for Lewis

Surname Notables

About Family Crests

Lewis Products

Origins Available: Welsh-Alt, Welsh

Where did the Welsh Lewis family come from? What is the Welsh coat of arms/family crest? When did the Lewis family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

The proud Lewis surname is from the personal name Lewis, an Anglicized form of the Welsh name Llewellyn. This name is often explained as meaning "lion-like," but is in fact probably derived from the Welsh word "llyw," which means "leader." Alternatively, the name Lewis is also an Anglo-French form of the Old Frankish name Hludwig, which means "loud battle."

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The earliest explanation for the preponderance of spelling variations is that when Welsh surnames initially developed the vast majority of the population was illiterate. It was therefore up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Lewis have included Lewis, Lewiss, Lewess, Lews, Llewys, Llewis, Lewwis, Llewess and many more.

First found in Glamorganshire, where the family held a seat from ancient times.

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contriBute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Lewis: Robert Lewis, who emigrated from Wales to Virginia in 1638; Abigail Lewis, who came to Maryland in 1659; Owen Lewis, who immigrated to Virginia in 1667.

Motto Translated: Faithful to my country.

For more information on the last name Lewis, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

Suggested Readings for the name Lewis

Daybreak on Old Fortification Creek: A History of John Lewis by Glenn Hodges.
The Family of John Lewis, Pioneer by Irvin Frazier.
Genealogy of the James W. Lewis-Susan Clemmer Family by Dr. Thomas Ferrell.

Some noteworthy people of the name Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis (b. 1935), American, famous musician from Louisiana who is one of the ten charter members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), American novelist who won the Nobel Prize in literature for his novel "Arrowsmith"
Edward B Lewis (b. 1918), American geneticist who won the Nobel Prize in physiology for his discovery of the control genes which convert a species' simple embryo into a complex organism, with its specialized body parts
Idawalley Zoradia Lewis (1842-1911), American lighthouse keeper
Frederick Lewis, American long jumper
Carl Lewis (b. 1961), American track and field athlete, 9 time Olympic champion, 8 time World Champion
Gilbert Newton Lewis (1875-1946), American physical chemist
John Llewellyn Lewis (1880-1969), American Labour leader
Harry Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951), American novelist
Alun Lewis (1915-1944), Welsh army lieutenant who wrote poetry and short stories about army life
Francis Lewis (1713-1802), Welsh signer of Declaration of Independence
Hywel David Lewis (b. 1910), Welsh philosopher
Richard Lewis (1807-1831), Welsh folk hero
Saunders Lewis (1893-1985), Welsh poet, dramatist, historian, literary critic
Sir Thomas Lewis (1881-1945), Welsh cardiologist
Mel Lewis (1929-1990), jazz musician
Sir William Arthur Lewis (b. 1915), Saint Lucian economist, winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics becoming the first black person to win a Nobel Prize in a category other than peace
Clive Staples Lewis (1898-1963), Irish academic and writer, best known for his works: "The Screwtape Letters", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Space Trilogy"
Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), English statesman

Tell Me More About Family Crests

Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist

We have researched the Lewis family crest in the most recognized sources. Before an artist or craftsman can render a family crest, it must exist. In other words the crest must have been designed and recorded by the heralds from time immemorial.

Heraldic designs matriculated by the lay-artist in many cases becomes uninspired, meretricious and even ugly...

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Family Crests: Timeline

Many of the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient recorded family crest was discovered upon the monumental effigy of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at Ratisobon, Germany...

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Family Crests: Elements

In the Lewis coat of arms as in all coat of arms the crest is only one element of the full armorial achievement. Again the Family Crest is just part of the story of Coats of Arms or Heraldry. Heraldry is defined as the hereditary art or science of blazoning, the description is appropriate technical terms of Coats-of-Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia, and is of very ancient origin...

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Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

We encourage you to study the Lewis genealogy to find out if you descend from someone who bore a particular family crest. Anyone making a study of heraldry usually becomes interested in Genealogy or seeking legal claim to a particular family crest. No families, not even the royal houses, can make sound claim to the right to bear arms unless a proven connection is established through attested Genealogical records...

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Lewis Family Crest Products

Anniversary

Anniversary products for the name Lewis.

Apparel

Apparel for the Lewis family crest.

Armorial histories

Armorial histories for the name Lewis.

Ceramics

Ceramics proudly displaying the Lewis coat of arms.

Clip art

Clip art of all the most used heraldic pieces.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms for the name Lewis.

Downloads

Downloads emphasing the Lewis family crest.

Family Crest

Family Crest for the name Lewis.

Family Tree

Family Tree displaying the family crest for the name Lewis.

Hand Painted Plaques

Hand Painted Plaques featuring the family crest for the surname Lewis.

Keychains

Keychains for the Lewis family crest.

Mouse pads

Mouse pads with a Lewis family crest.

New Products

New Products revealing the family crest for the surname Lewis.

Packages

Packages revealing the family crest for the surname Lewis.

Plaques and Frames

Plaques and Frames with the family crest for the name Lewis.

Surname Histories

Surname Histories for the name Lewis.

Symbolism

Symbolism displaying the Lewis family crest.

Travel Mugs

Travel Mugs emphasing the Lewis family crest.

Popular Products
	Armorial History With Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
	Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series - 300 DPI
	Key-chain
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	Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms

The Lewis Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Lewis Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.