Lewis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Wales-Alt 
  Wales 
  Ireland 


The proud Lewis surname is from the personal name Lewis, an Anglicized form of the Welsh name Llewellyn. This name is often explained as meaning "lion-like," but is in fact probably derived from the Welsh word "llyw," which means "leader." Alternatively, the name Lewis is also an Anglo-French form of the Old Frankish name Hludwig, which means "loud battle."

Early Origins of the Lewis family

The surname Lewis was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, where the family held a seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lewis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lewis research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1616, 1625, 1627, 1640, 1650, 1660, 1661, 1664, 1669, 1674, 1675, 1677, 1679, 1690, 1699, 1706 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lewis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lewis Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Lewis have included Lewis, Lewiss, Lewess, Lews, Llewys, Llewis, Lewwis, Llewess and many more.

Early Notables of the Lewis family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was

Lewis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lewis is the 23rd most popular surname with an estimated 562,062 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Lewis is ranked the 61st most popular surname with an estimated 35,038 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lewis is the 899th popular surname. 3 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Lewis as 64th with 412 people. 4 Australia ranks Lewis as 47th with 40,743 people. 5 New Zealand ranks Lewis as 70th with 4,848 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks Lewis as 22nd with 116,009 people. 7 South Africa ranks Lewis as 337th with 20,102 people. 8

Migration of the Lewis family to Ireland

Some of the Lewis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Lewis migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Lewis:

Lewis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Lewis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Lewis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Lewis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Lewis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lewis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Lewis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Lewis migration to Australia +

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

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

Lewis 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:

Lewis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Lewis 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. 18
Lewis Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Lewis (post 1700) +


The Lewis 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: Patriae fidus
Motto Translation: Faithful to my country.


Suggested Readings for the name Lewis +
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