Show ContentsLeftwich History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Leftwich family

The surname Leftwich was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Lestwich, held by Richard de Vernon, a Norman Baron, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Lestwich was a large village on the banks of the River Dane notable for its Lea Grange Farm.

Early History of the Leftwich family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leftwich research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1424, 1505, 1510, 1535 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Leftwich History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leftwich Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lestwich, Leftwich, Lestwick, Leftwick, Lestwiche, Leftwicke, Lesswich, Lesswick, Leastwich, Leastwick, Leffick and many more.

Early Notables of the Leftwich family

More information is included under the topic Early Leftwich Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Leftwich Ranking

In the United States, the name Leftwich is the 6,637th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Leftwich family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Leftwich (post 1700) +

  • William Leftwich (1867-1935), American artist
  • William Groom Leftwich Jr. (1931-1970), officer of the United States Marine Corps
  • Brad Leftwich (b. 1953), prominent American old-time fiddle and banjo player and teacher
  • Keith Clayton Leftwich (1954-2003), American State Representative and State Senator for Oklahoma
  • Debbe Leftwich, United States politician
  • Jabez Leftwich (1765-1855), American politician
  • Philip Dale Leftwich (b. 1969), former American professional baseball player
  • John William Leftwich, American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 8th congressional district of Tennessee
  • Byron Antron Leftwich (b. 1980), American football quarterback
  • Benjamin Francis Leftwich (b. 1989), English singer-songwriter
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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