Lightning is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in a clearing or glade. The surname Lightning is derived from the Old English word leoht, which means light and is theorized to specifically mean light place in this case. The surname Lightning belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
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Early Origins of the Lightning family
The surname Lightning was first found in Somerset where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
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Early History of the Lightning family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lightning research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1529, 1546, 1564, 1578, 1588 and 1607 are included under the topic Early Lightning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Lightning 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 Lightning family name include Light, Lyte, Lite and others.
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Early Notables of the Lightning family
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lightning Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Lightning family
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 Lightning surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Elias Light settled in Virginia in 1637 along with Richard; George Light settled in Virginia in 1652 with Mary; William and John Light settled in Virginia in 1653..
England
