Show ContentsLanglie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Langlie is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from the Germanic personal name Lanzo, which was initially a short form of numerous compound names with the first portion land, which means land or territory. The name became popular among the Normans because of its association with the Old French word lance, which means spear. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The Normans imported a vast number of Norman French personal names, which largely replaced traditional Old English personal names among the upper and middle classes

Early Origins of the Langlie family

The surname Langlie was first found in Norfolk, where they held a family seat from the Middle Ages.

However, we did find a solitary early listing of the family in Penarth, Cornwall. "Penarth or Penair, which in the days of Hals belonged to the family of Launce, was by them sold to the Boscawens." 1

Early History of the Langlie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Langlie research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1196, 1237, 1273, 1516, 1662, 1663 and 1802 are included under the topic Early Langlie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Langlie Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Lance, Laence, Lence, Lancie and others.

Early Notables of the Langlie family

More information is included under the topic Early Langlie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Langlie family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Langlie name or one of its variants: Gowin Lance, who sailed to Virginia in 1638; Philip Lance, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749; James Lance, who arrived in New York in 1820; John Lance, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1820.


Contemporary Notables of the name Langlie (post 1700) +

  • Arthur Bernard Langlie (1900-1966), American Republican politician, Mayor of Seattle, Washington, 1938-41; Defeated, 1936; Governor of Washington, 1941-45, 1949-57 2


  1. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook