Ledbury Surname History

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Ledbury

What does the name Ledbury mean?

The ancestry of the name Ledbury dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the village of Ledbury. Ledbury is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Early Origins of the Ledbury family

The surname Ledbury was first found in Herefordshire, at Ledbury, a market town, lying east of Hereford, and south of the Malvern Hills. The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Liedeberge and probably meant "fortified place on the River Leadon" from the Old English "burgh." 1

Early History of the Ledbury family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ledbury research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1275, 1284, 1297, 1328 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Ledbury History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledbury Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Ledbury have been found, including Ladbury, Ledbury, Ladebury, Ledebury, Ledebur, Ledeburi, LadBerry, Ladburie and many more.

Early Notables of the Ledbury family

William de Ledbury of Herefordshire, who resettled at Cleeve Prior in Worcestershire in 1284 after a religious dispute with the Bishop of London and the Pope which was mediated by King Edward

Ledbury migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Ledbury, or a variant listed above:

Ledbury Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H. L. Ledbury, who settled in America in 1896
Alfred E. Ledbury, who settled in America in 1898

Ledbury Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Susan Ledbury, aged 24, left her home in Birmingham and settled in America in 1906

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)