Show ContentsLeere History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Leere arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Leere family lived in Leicestershire. This surname was originally derived from the Old French de L'Eyre, a reference to a place in the arrondissement of Evreux in Normandy. 1 2

Early Origins of the Leere family

The surname Leere was first found in Leicestershire and Warwickshire where one of the first records of the family was William de Lyre who held estates in these shires in the 13th century. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William de la Lere (likely the same as above) 3

Early History of the Leere family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leere research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1272, 1602, 1642, 1662, 1722, 1798, 1802 and 1804 are included under the topic Early Leere History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leere Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Lear, Leare, Leer, Leere and others.

Early Notables of the Leere family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Tobias Lear, an American diplomat who was appointed by George Washington as his military secretary in 1798 and appointed by...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leere Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Leere family to Ireland

Some of the Leere family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Leere migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Leere or a variant listed above:

Leere Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Leere who sailed to Virginia in 1654
  • Hanna Leere, who arrived in America in 1654-1679 4


  1. 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)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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)


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