Lord History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The name Lord is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was taken on by someone who worked as a hlalord which meant lord, master or Lord's servant. 1 2 3

The "term of civil dignity, a master, ruler, the proprietor of a manor, derived from the Anglo-Saxon ord, which comes from ored, a governor, with the prefix of the letter L, le, denoting the person or place. Gaelic, ard, ord, high, lofty, the prime chief, superior. Lord has been derived from Hlaford, which is compounded of Hlaf, a loaf, and ford, to give,-a bread-giver." 4

Early Origins of the Lord family

The surname Lord was first found in Suffolk where the Pipe Rolls of 1198 record William le Lauerd as holding lands there at that time. A few years later, Gilbert Louerd was listed in Northumberland c. 1202 and John le Lord was found in Huntingdonshire in 1252. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Robert le Loverd, Oxfordshire; William le Loverd, Nottinghamshire; Roger le Lord, Cambridgeshire; and Walter le Lord, Huntingdonshire. 2

Richard le Lord, filius Margarete le Lord was listed in the Close Rolls, 9 Richard II (during the ninth year of Richard II's reign.)

Early History of the Lord family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lord research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1252, 1273, 1300, 1573, 1633 and 1645 are included under the topic Early Lord History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lord 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 Lord include Lord, Lorde and others.

Early Notables of the Lord family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Lord World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lord is the 1,268th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Lord is ranked the 746th most popular surname with an estimated 7,186 people with that name. 6 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lord is the 443rd popular surname. 7 Australia ranks Lord as 560th with 6,837 people. 8 New Zealand ranks Lord as 621st with 1,151 people. 9 The United Kingdom ranks Lord as 521st with 12,636 people. 10

Migration of the Lord family to Ireland

Some of the Lord family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Lord 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:

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

Lord migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lord Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Lord Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Lord Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Lord migration to Australia +

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

Lord Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Lord 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:

Lord Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Lord 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. 20
Lord Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Lord (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Lord +
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