Lass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as Lass. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The Lass family appears to have originally lived in the settlement of Lassy in the region called Calvados in northern France. The name of this place is derived from the Gaulish personal name Lascius, which is of uncertain origin, and the local suffix -acum. The Gaelic form of the surname Lass is de Léis. However, there is a native Irish family of County Wexford named Ó Laitheasa who anglicize their surname as Lass. This name, which was originally Ó Flaithgheasa, is derived from the Gaelic word flaith, which means prince. 1 This was, in most cases, a nickname applied to someone with princely manners or a regal bearing.

Early Origins of the Lass family

The surname Lass was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where they had been granted lands by Strongbow after the invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Lass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lass research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1298 is included under the topic Early Lass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lass Spelling Variations

A single person's name was often spelt simply as it sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. An investigation into the specific origins the name Lass has revealed that such a practice has resulted in many spelling variations over the years. A few of its variants include: Lacey, Lacie, Lacy, de Lacy, Lasey, Lassey and many more.

Early Notables of the Lass family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Hugo de Lacy of Limerick, as well as Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who was recorded on the...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lass Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lass Ranking

In the United States, the name Lass is the 15,445^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Lass migration to the United States +

In the 1840s, Ireland experienced a mass exodus to North America due to the Great Potato Famine. These families wanted to escape from hunger and disease that was ravaging their homeland. With the promise of work, freedom and land overseas, the Irish looked upon British North America and the United States as a means of hope and prosperity. Those that survived the journey were able to achieve this through much hard work and perseverance. Early immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Lass:

Lass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Lass, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1854 3
Mary Lass, aged 3, who arrived in New York in 1854 3

The Lass Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Meritas augentur honores
Motto Translation: Honours are enhanced by deserts.

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"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)