Lyon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 
  England 


The distinguished surname Lyon is a proud example of one of the more noteworthy Scottish surnames. In Scotland, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Lyon family originally lived in the Norman settlement of Lyons-la-Foret, before migrating to England and Scotland. 1

Early Origins of the Lyon family

The surname Lyon was first found in Perthshire where Sir Roger de Lyon settled in Scotland in 1098 and called the lands there Glen Lyon. "According to the family tradition the Lyons came to Scotland from France, by way of England, in the course of the twelfth century." 2

However, it appears the family was indeed in England before the 1100s. "Ingelram de Lions came to England 1066, and held Corsham and Culington from the King. He had Ranulph, whose brother William de Lions had a grant in Norfolk from Earl Walter Giffard, and left descendants there." 1

Moving north into Scotland, "John de Lyon obtained from David II a grant of the baronies of Forteviot and Fergundeny in Perthshire and Drumgawan in Aberdeenshire; his son, Sir John Lyon, was Secretary to Robert II, whose youngest daughter, Lady Jane Stewart, he married, and was created Lord Glamis, made Great Chamberlain, and Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and received grants of the Thanedom of Glamis in Forfarshire, and of the Barony of Kinghorn in Fifeshire. " 3

Another source claims that the family arrived via England later. "The name was not uncommon in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and landowners of the name were in occupation in several of the English shires in the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. The first of the name recorded in Scotland, probably an English soldier, was Thomas Lyon, crossbowman, who formed one of the garrison of Linlithgow peel in the pay of Edward II. " 2

Mention should now be made of the numerous listings of the family in England at about the same time. Here it is generally thought that the first record of the name was Roger de Leonibus filius Jeffrey de Lions who was listed in the Feet of Fines of Norfolk during the reign of Henry III of England (reign 1216-1272.) The same source lists John de Leonibus in Southamptonshire and Peter de Leonibus in Northamptonshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Judaeus Leo and Jacob filius Leonis in Lincolnshire; John Leon in Oxfordshire; and Roger de Lyons, Wiltshire. 4

Early History of the Lyon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lyon research. Another 351 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1105, 1203, 1275, 1310, 1332, 1334, 1342, 1371, 1381, 1393, 1411, 1425, 1445, 1499, 1509, 1525, 1550, 1643, 1663, 1695, 1696, 1702, 1707, 1712, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lyon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyon Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lyon, Lions, Lyons and others.

Early Notables of the Lyon family

Notable among the family at this time was

Lyon World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lyon is the 1,117th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Lyon is ranked the 6,561st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 6 And in Australia, the name Lyon is the 917th popular surname with an estimated 4,295 people with that name. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Lyon as 885th with 7,734 people. 8

Migration of the Lyon family to Ireland

Some of the Lyon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Lyon migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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

Lyon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Lyon migration to Australia +

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

Lyon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Lyon 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:

Lyon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Lyon 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
Lyon Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
Lyon Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Lyon (post 1700) +


The Lyon 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: Pro rege et patria
Motto Translation: For King and country.


Suggested Readings for the name Lyon +
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