Langley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The name Langley first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Langley in five counties in ancient Britain. Literally, the place name means "long wood or clearing," from the Old English words "land" + "leah." The name has Saxon roots too as the oldest place we found was in Langley, Kent where it was listed as Longanleag in 814. The next earliest was in Wiltshire where Langelegh was listed in 940, both before the Norman Conquest in 1066. 1

Early Origins of the Langley family

The surname Langley was first found in Durham where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Some of the first records of the name were listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Thomas Langeleye in Oxford; Peter de Langlege in Wiltshire; and Ralph de Langleye in Kent. 2

Wakefield in the West Riding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family since early times. "In the reign of Edward the Confessor, it formed part of the royal demesnes; and, after the Conquest, was granted by Henry I. to William, Earl Warren, with whose descendants it remained till the reign of Edward III., when, in default of issue male, it escheated to the crown, and was given by that monarch to his fifth son, Edmund de Langley, upon whom he conferred the title of Earl of Cambridge, and who, in the reign of Richard II., was for his important services created Duke of York." 3

Some of the family were found in the North Riding of Yorkshire at Wykeham. "Wykeham Abbey, the seat of the Hon. Marmaduke Langley, who is lord of the manor and chief owner of the soil, is a neat mansion, standing in a finely wooded park about a mile south of the village." 3

Langley Castle is a restored medieval tower house, now operated as an hotel, situated in the village of Langley in the valley of the River South Tyne, Northumberland. This castle was never held by the Langley family but is so named because of its proximity to the village. Langley Chapel is a 17th century Anglican parish church, located near Acton Burnell, Shropshire, England.

Early History of the Langley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Langley research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1341, 1363, 1386, 1402, 1404, 1437, 1548, 1576, 1595, 1596, 1602, 1611 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Langley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Langley Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Langley has appeared include Langley, Langlee, Langleigh and others.

Early Notables of the Langley family

Notables of the family at this time include

Langley World Ranking

In the United States, the name Langley is the 994th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 4 However, in New Zealand, the name Langley is ranked the 919th most popular surname with an estimated 805 people with that name. 5 And in the United Kingdom, the name Langley is the 644th popular surname with an estimated 10,163 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Langley family to Ireland

Some of the Langley 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.


Langley migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Langley arrived in North America very early:

Langley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Langley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Langley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Langley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Langley Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Langley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Langley Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Langley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Langley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Langley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Langley migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 16
Langley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Langley (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Langley +
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