Contents [hide]

Lesser History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Sources

Lesser History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany

Etymology of Lesser

What does the name Lesser mean?

The colorful history of Saxony provides a glimpse at the oldest origins of the Lesser family. In the medieval era, the German lands were inhabited by a variety of Barbarian tribes. The ancient dukedom of Saxony derived its name from the Germanic tribe name the Saxons who inhabited the territory after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Early Origins of the Lesser family

The surname Lesser was first found in Saxony, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. The oldest form of the name is Loeser or Lesar, which stems from Lazarus and the Hebrew names Eleazer and Elieser.

Today Lieser, Germany is a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, in the Bernkastel-Wittlich district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

Schloss Lieser (Castle of Lieser) in the Mosel valley is one of the most striking buildings within the village of Lieser, Germany. It was built on the site of a 1710-built church property in the 1800s for the family of the winery owner Eduard Puricelli. And Lieser is a small river in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, a left tributary of the Moselle.

Early History of the Lesser family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lesser research. Another 141 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1325, 1745 and 1876 are included under the topic Early Lesser History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lesser Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Leser, Lesser, Lesserer, Leserer, Leyser, Leyserer, Layserer, Layser, Loeser and many more.

Early Notables of the Lesser family

Matthia Loeser (15th century), who was not only provost of Klemberg and the Chancellor of Saxony, but was an important emissary to King Sigmund. He brought King Sigmund news of the...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lesser Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lesser Ranking

the United States, the name Lesser is the 9,670^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Lesser migration to the United States +

Lesser Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Kristoffel Lesser, who landed in New York in 1709 2
Nicholas Lesser, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 2
Nicholas Lesser who settled in Philadelphia in 1739
Hans Michall Lesser who settled in Philadelphia in 1739
Hans Michael and Nicholas Lesser, who settled in Philadelphia in 1739
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lesser Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Matheas Lesser, aged 43, who arrived in Mobile County, Ala in 1845 2
Christian Lesser, who settled in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Friedrich"
Alexander Lesser, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2
Jette Lesser, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 2
Bertha Lesser, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lesser migration to Canada +

Lesser Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Lotte Lesser, who arrived in Quebec in 1893

Lesser migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lesser Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

C. Lesser, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883

Contemporary Notables of the name Lesser (post 1700) +

Leonard King "Len" Lesser (1922-2011), American actor known for a key role in the Clint Eastwood movie Kelly's Heroes and his recurring role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld
George Lesser (b. 1932), American rock and roll musician
Sol Lesser (1890-1980), American movie director
Robert J. Lesser, American politician, Representative from Pennsylvania 13th District, 1940 3
Julius Lesser, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1892 4
Mike Lesser (1943-2015), English mathematical philosopher and political activist

Sources +

"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html