First found in Franconia, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Chronicles first mention "Heinrich in der lachun" in 1280 in Wuerttemberg, "Lachenman" in 1409 in Reutlingen, Burkhart Lachner of Freiburg in 1434, and by 1452 the variation "Lachenmair" was taken on in Leutkirch. "An der Lache" meant literally "by the pond." Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that developing region as they emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System.

Between the mid-17th and mid-20th centuries, German settlers arrived in North America by the thousands. Persecution based on religion and poverty were great motivators in this large-scale migration. So too was the opportunity for tenant farmers to own their own land. Ample land and opportunity awaited the settlers who went to such states as Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California, as well as Ontario and the prairie provinces of Canada. Research into the Origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lacher or a variant listed above: Mark Lachman, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1774. Martin Lachner and Vite Lachner came to Georgia in 1741; G.C. Lachenmayer came to Philadelphia in 1798.

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