Lax History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Lax family

The surname Lax was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Lax family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lax research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1351, 1729, 1741 and 1789 are included under the topic Early Lax History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lax Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Lax include Lax, Laxe and others.

Early Notables of the Lax family

Distinguished members of the family include

Thomas Lax a prominent 14th century landholder in Yorkshire, and John Lax, esquire of Erlyhome in Yorkshire

Lax Ranking

In the United States, the name Lax is the 11,506^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Lax migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lax or a variant listed above:

Lax Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Ann Lax who arrived in Virginia in 1731
George Lax who sailed to America in 1744
Christian Lax who arrived in Philadelphia in 1792
Christian Ernst Lax, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 2

Lax Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ann Lax, aged 55, who arrived in New York in 1864 2
Charles Lax, aged 15, who landed in New York in 1864 2

Lax migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lax Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

N. Lax, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Aden" in 1849 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Lax (post 1700) +

Samuel Lax, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 15th District, 1923 4
Peter David Lax (b. 1926), American highly-respected mathematician awarded the Wolf Prize in 1987 and the Abel Prize in 2005
Robert Lax (1915-2000), American poet
Melvin Lax, renowned American physicist

Citations +

"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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Aden from London via Plymouth Adealide Arriving September 12th 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849AdenRegister.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html