Landis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

During that dark period of history known as the Middle Ages, the name of Landis was first used in France. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Landis family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Landis was an occupational name for a grower of lavender. Looking back further, we find the name Landis was originally from the Old English word lavendier, which indicated someone of that profession.

One of the earliest records of the family was Maurice de Londres (died 1166), an Anglo-Norman noble. He was a son of William de Londres (died 1131), who was one of the Twelve Knights of Glamorgan, and his wife Matilda. He founded All Saints' Church, Oystermouth and Ewenny Priory in 1141. The priory of Ewenny contains his tomb.

Early Origins of the Landis family

The surname Landis was first found in Bedfordshire, where Almaric de Landres held lands in Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the 13th century. He originated in Burgundy, France with the spelling Landres which is also a commune today in Lorraine. The northern-eastern location of the name in France makes the Norman influence very probable. 1

At about the same time, Ysabelle la Lauendere was listed a census in 1253 and Ralf la Lavendered was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1268. Thomas Launder was listed in Yorkshire in 1331 and later Elyzabeth Lander was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1524. 2

Early History of the Landis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Landis research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1217, 1221, 1260, 1550, 1575, 1659, 1665, 1775 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Landis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landis Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Landers, Lander, Landes, Landis, Landor and others.

Early Notables of the Landis family

Notable among the family at this time was Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864), English author of 'Imaginary Conversations' born on 30 Jan. 1775, was the eldest son of Walter Landor, by his second wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Charles Savage. The Landors had been settled for some generations at Rugeley, Staffordshire. Their descendant's fancy ennobled his ancestry, and he believed, gratuitously as it seems, that one of his mother's ancestors was Arnold Savage, speaker of the House of Commons in the reign of Henry VII. The elder Landor was a physician, but after coming to his inheritance...
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Landis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landis Ranking

In the United States, the name Landis is the 1,967^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Landis family to Ireland

Some of the Landis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 208 words (15 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Landis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Landis, who landed in America in 1708 4
Hans Landis, who arrived in America in 1731 4
Hch Landis, who landed in America in 1731 4
Johan Landis, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 4
Peter Landis, aged 24, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Landis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Landis, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Landis (post 1700) +

Richard Landis (1946-2023), American musician, singer-songwriter, and music producer
Jean Landis (1918-2022), American aviator, member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) in World War II, awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2009
Merkel Landis (1875-1960), American lawyer and banker from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as President of Carlisle Trust Company, he founded the Christmas Savings Club in 1909, now used by many banks nationwide
James Henry "Jim" Landis (1934-2017), American professional baseball player, AL Gold Glove Award winner five consecutive seasons
Geoffrey A. Landis (b. 1955), American scientist and science fiction writer
John David Landis (b. 1950), American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer
J Cullen Landis (1895-1975), American motion picture actor
Carole Landis (1919-1948), American film actress
James Nobel Landis (1899-1989), American electrical-power engineer
James M. Landis (1899-1964), American lawyer, academic, and government official
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)