Lady History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Lady finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a person who worked as a servant of a noble lady as in ' the lady's man.' 1 2

However, another source has a different occupational background "a man who has the charge of a horse-load or of a pack-horse." 3 The name is "a Northern, particularly Yorkshire, surname." 1

Early Origins of the Lady family

The surname Lady was first found in Lincolnshire where Rannulf (le) Lauediman was recorded in the Feet of Fines for 1202. It is thought the same person was listed in Northumberland in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1214. Geoffrey le Leuediman was recorded in Yorkshire in the 13th century and Roger Ladyman was recorded in Hertfordshire in 1296. 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 has some interesting spelling variations in use at that time: Ricardus Ledyman; Johanna ye Laydimayden; and Johannes Serve-ledy. 2

Early History of the Lady family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lady research. Another 207 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1296, 1379, 1397, 1399, 1581, 1625, 1642, 1647, 1648, 1649, 1658, 1677, 1683, 1684, 1700, 1731 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Lady History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lady Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Lady has been recorded under many different variations, including Ladyman, Ledyman, Ladymen, Laudyman, Lauediman, Laydimayden and many more.

Early Notables of the Lady family

Distinguished members of the family include

Samuel Ladyman, (1625-1684), English divine, Archdeacon of Limerick, Ireland. He was the son of John Ladyman of Dinton, Buckinghamshire. He entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, as a servitor 3 Marc...

Lady Ranking

In the United States, the name Lady is the 11,510^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Lady family to Ireland

Some of the Lady family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lady migration to Canada +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lady or a variant listed above:

Lady Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ann Lady, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor" in 1834
Catharine Lady, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor" in 1834
Isabell Lady, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Eleanor" in 1834

Contemporary Notables of the name Lady (post 1700) +

Wendell Lady (1930-2022), American politician, Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1969 to 1983, Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives (1979-1983)
Wendell E. Lady, American Republican politician, Speaker of the Kansas State House of Representatives, 1979-82 6
Elaine Lady, American Republican politician, Candidate for Maryland State Senate District 3-A, 1970 6
Emilia Lady Dilkes (1840-1904), English author, art historian, feminist and trade unionist
Lady Joan Pearl Laxton, English noble
Lady Rizo, stage name of Amelia Zirin-Brown, an American comedienne and chanteuse
Lady Miss Kier (b. 1963), stage name of Kierin Magenta Kirby, American singer and DJ
Lady Elizabeth Gwillim (1763-1807), British wildlife bird artist
Lady Anne Halkett (1623-1699), English religious writer and autobiographer
Lady Grooms, American former professional basketball player

Citations +

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)
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html