Luther History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
In mediaeval German "lud" meant "fame" and "liut" or "Leute" meant "people" or "folk;" while "her," meant "army." Thus "liut-her" meant "person in the army," while "lud-her" would be a "famous soldier."
Early Origins of the Luther family
The surname Luther was first found in Saxony, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. In northern Germany the name Lueder was more popular, while in southern Germany the root was Liut-her or Leuther, and in Thuringia "Luther" (Martin Luther's father wrote his name "Luder"). In mediaeval German "lud" meant "fame" and "liut" meant "Leute" ("people" or "folk," thus "liut-her" would be "Lord of the people",) and these are the two possible sources for the name. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.
Early History of the Luther family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Luther research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1415, 1456, 1472, 1483, 1546, 1636, 1685, 1716, 1787 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Luther History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Luther Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Luther, Lutter, Luter, Lueder, Lueders, Leuther, Luethi (Switzerland), Leuthiold, Luethold, Lutte and many more.
Early Notables of the Luther family
More information is included under the topic Early Luther Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Luther Ranking
In the United States, the name Luther is the 2,438th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1
Luther migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Luther Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Grace Luther, who landed in Maryland in 1670 2
- Samuel Luther, who arrived in New England in 1685 2
- John Luther, who arrived in Virginia in 1698 2
Luther Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Caspar Luther, who landed in New York in 1709-1710 2
- John Luther, who landed in Virginia in 1713 2
- Caspar Luther, who settled in America in 1720
- Heinrich Luther, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 2
- Christian Luther, who settled in Philadelphia in 1751
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Luther Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Friedr Luther, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 2
- Engelbert Luther, who landed in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Talisman" 2
- Elisabeth Luther, aged 24, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
- Henry Luther, aged 19, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 2
- Peter Luther, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Luther migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Luther Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Seth Luther, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Contemporary Notables of the name Luther (post 1700) +
- Calvin Charles Luther (1927-2021), American men's college head basketball coach at DePauw, Murray State, Longwood, UT Martin, and Bethel College
- Bobbi Sue Luther (b. 1978), American model, actress, film producer and host of TLC's Junkyard Mega Wars
- William Paul "Bill" Luther (b. 1945), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota (1995-2003)
- Frank Luther (1905-1980), American country music singer, songwriter and pianist
- Inez Luther, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1920 3
- Harold C. Luther, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly 113th District, 1973 3
- H. M. Luther, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from East Haddam; Elected 1916 3
- Fred A. Luther, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 9th District, 1932 3
- Forrest Luther, American Democratic Party politician, Kansas Democratic State Chair, 1920-22; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kansas, 1928 3
- Flavel Sweeten Luther (1850-1928), American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State Senate 1st District, 1907-08 3
- ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Suggested Readings for the name Luther +
- The Luther Family in America by Leslie Leon Luther.
Citations +
- "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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html