Leland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The origins of the Leland name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Leland was originally derived from a family having lived in Leyland, in Lancashire. The place-name Leyland is derived from the Old English elements læge and land, and means "untilled land." 1 It was recorded as Lailand in the Domesday Book, 2 compiled in 1086 on the orders of William the Conqueror. The family name is derived from the place-name and means "dweller by the uncultivated land."
Early Origins of the Leland family
The surname Leland was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. There are actually two parishes in Lancashire bearing the name Layland or Leyland. "The Lancashire Leyland was Leylaund, Leylond, Leyland, Laylond, Lelarid in the 13th century." 3
The first record of the family was actually found in neighbouring Yorkshire when Johannes Leyland was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4
Leyland Motors Limited, the British vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses was based in Leyland, Lancashire. Founded in 1896, the original company is now defunct.
Early History of the Leland family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leland research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1210, 1503, 1552, 1670, 1679, 1691 and 1766 are included under the topic Early Leland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Leland Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Leland include Leyland, Leland, Lelland, Leeland, Lealand and others.
Early Notables of the Leland family
Distinguished members of the family include
- John Leland, also Leyland (1503-1552), an English poet and antiquary, often described as "the father of English local history and bibliography"
Leland Ranking
In the United States, the name Leland is the 7,671st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5
Leland migration to the United States +
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Leland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Hopestill Leland, who landed in Massachusetts in 1624 6
- Henry Leland, who arrived in New England in 1655 6
Leland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Adam Leland, who settled in Boston in 1715
- John Leland, who arrived in Virginia in 1775 6
Leland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Alonzo Leland, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
- Catherine Leland, who landed in New York in 1851 6
- A Leland, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
- Joseph Leland, who landed in New York in 1851 6
- W Leland, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
Leland migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Leland Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Mr. Robert Leland, aged 45 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Marchioness of Breadalbane" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 7
Leland 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.
8Leland Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Christopher Leland, who settled in Barbados with his servants in 1680
Contemporary Notables of the name Leland (post 1700) +
- Frank C. Leland (1869-1914), American baseball player, field manager and club owner in the Negro Leagues, founder of the Leland Giants
- Burton Leland (1948-2018), American politician, Member of the Wayne County Commission (2007-2018), Member of the Michigan Senate (1999-2006)
- Ziba A. Leland, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Steuben County, 1842-43
- Wilmer A. Leland, American politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Berlin, 1888
- W. W. Leland, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1856
- Uriah Leland, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Madison County, 1839
- Ruby F. Leland, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1928
- Reuben Leland, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1892
- Phineas W. Leland, American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Collector of Customs, 1854; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1860
- Ora Miner Leland (1876-1962), American politician, Candidate for New York State Engineer and Surveyor, 1912. Dean of the College of Engineering and Architecture at the University of Minnesota; Developed the Aeronautical Engineering Department in 1928-29
- ... (Another 35 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "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)
- Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 39)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies