Lankey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Lankey

What does the name Lankey mean?

Lankey is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. 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 Lankey family

The surname Lankey 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 Lankey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lankey 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 Lankey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lankey Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Lankey family name include Lance, Laence, Lence, Lancie and others.

Early Notables of the Lankey family

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

Lankey migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Lankey family to immigrate North America:

Lankey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jane Lankey, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 3

Lankey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Third Fleet

Mr. David Lankey, (b. 1762), aged 25, English settler convicted in London on 26th May 1784, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 2

Sources +

Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)