Laughman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Laughman is a name whose history is connected to the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Laughman family once lived in the village of Lawton which was in both Cheshire and Herefordshire. This place-name was originally derived from the Old English words hlaw tun, which means that the original bearers of the surname lived in the farm that was located on the hill.

Early Origins of the Laughman family

The surname Laughman was first found in Cheshire where the parish named Laughton dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Lestone 1. Church Lawton is a small village and civil parish in Cheshire East and was recorded in the Domesday Book as Lautune. There are at least three other listings of places now named Laughton in the Domesday Book: Lachestone in Leicester, Lastone in Yorkshire and finally Loctone in Lincolnshire. The latter is believed to have been derived from the Old English words "loc" + "tun" and meant "enclosure that can be locked" 2

The parish of Lowton in Lancashire "gave name to a family who subsequently adopted the surname of Kenyon from their possessions in a neighbouring township." 3

Lorton is a parish, in the union of Cockermouth, Allerdale ward above Derwent in Cumberland. It comprises two small villages Low Lorton and High Lorton and dates back to c. 1150 when it was known as Loretona. It probably meant "farmstead on a stream called Hlora" from the Viking river name meaning "roaring one" + and the Old English word "tun." 2

Early History of the Laughman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laughman research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1660, 1670, 1693, 1721 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Laughman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laughman Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Laughman family name include Lawton, Laughton, Loughmane and others.

Early Notables of the Laughman family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Laughman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Laughman family to Ireland

Some of the Laughman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laughman migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Laughman surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Laughman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Laughman, aged 32, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Mary Laughman, aged 28, who landed in America from Hollford, in 1898

Laughman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Patk Laughman, aged 20, who landed in America from Drumsna, in 1900
Michael Laughman, aged 30, who settled in America from Kiladooly, in 1901
Edward J. Laughman, aged 40, who landed in America, in 1907
James Laughman, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Dromos, Ireland, in 1907
Thomas Laughman, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Laughman (post 1700) +

Penelope Laughman, American costume designer, known for her work in I Am Legend (2007), National Treasure (2004) and Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Barry Laughman, American who was wrongly convicted in 1998 for rape and murder, released after 15 years thanks to Peter Joseph Shellem, the investigative reporter for The Patriot-News

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)