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Landon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Landon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Landon comes from when the family resided in the villages of Langdon or Longdon which had several locations around England. This place-name literally refers to an area that was known for a long hill. 1 2

East Langdon and West Landgon in Kent are the oldest parishes bearing this name. They collectively date back to Saxon times when they were known as Langandune in 861; the parish of Langdon Hills is Essex, named Langenduna in the Domesday Book of 1086 follows. 3 By 1291, East and West Landgon were known as Estlangedoun and Westlangedone. 4

Early Origins of the Landon family

The surname Landon was first found in Worcestershire where Aelfward aet Langadune was registered as an Old English Byname c. 1050. Later, Chetelburn de Lonedun was found in Warwickshire and Maurice de Landedun was listed in the Feet of Fines for Kent in 1201. In Staffordshire, Reginald de Langedon was registered there in the Assize Rolls of 1221 as was Alan de Longedon in Salop (Shropshire.) 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included entries for: Bartholomew de Langedon, Essex; Cecil de Langedon, Kent; and William de Langedone, Essex. 6

In Somerset, John de Langedone was registered there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 7

Some of the family were found in Cornwall where "the manor of Grimscott, [in the parish of Launcells] which is now divided into small tenements, was formerly the property of the Langdons." 8

Early History of the Landon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Landon research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1398, 1400, 1434, 1478, 1587, 1660, 1676, 1739, 1741, 1791, 1805 and 1819 are included under the topic Early Landon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landon 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 Landon include Langdon, Landon, Langdown, Langsdown and others.

Early Notables of the Landon family

Distinguished members of the family include John Langdon (d. 1434), Bishop of Rochester, a native of Kent, and perhaps of Langdon, who was admitted a monk of Christ Church, Canterbury, in 1398. Afterwards he studied at Oxford, and graduated B.D. in 1400; according to his epitaph he was D.D. He is said to have belonged to Gloucester Hall, now Worcester College. According to another account he was warden of Canterbury College, which was connected with his monastery; but this may be an error...
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Landon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Landon Ranking

In the United States, the name Landon is the 4,629^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 9

Landon 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:

Landon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Landon, who landed in Virginia in 1663 10

Landon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Landon, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 10
Betty Landon, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 10
Mary Landon, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 10
Roger Landon, who landed in Virginia in 1705 10
Selenger Landon, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Landon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Landon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Asa Landon U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11
Mr. Heman Landon Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11

Landon 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:

Landon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. J. Landon, Australian settler travelling from Melbourne, Victoria aboard the ship "Dunedin" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 14th November 1859 12
William Landon, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Landon (post 1700) +

John Landon (1950-2021), American politician who served in the Iowa House of Representatives from the 37th district from 2013 to 2021
Alfred Mossman "Alf" Landon (1887-1987), American politician, 26th Governor of Kansas (1933-1937)
General Truman Hempel Landon (1905-1986), American Commander of the 4th Allied Tactical Air Force (1961-1963) 14
Michael Landon (1936-1991), American actor, producer and director best known for his role as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza
Christopher Beau Landon (b. 1975), American screenwriter
Jennifer Rachel Landon (b. 1983), two-time Emmy-winning American actress
Brigadier Arthur Henry Whittington Landon (1889-1968), Chief Administration Officer Pacific Command (1943-1945) 15
Charles Paul Landon (1760-1826), French painter
Larry Landon (b. 1958), retired Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player
George Landon Ingraham (1847-1931), American lawyer and judge in New York City, Presiding Justice of New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, 1910

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Truman Landon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Landon/Truman_Hempel/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, September 15) Arthur Landon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Landon/Arthur_Henry_Whittington/Canada.html