Show ContentsLindle History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Lindle

What does the name Lindle mean?

The ancient roots of the Lindle family name are in the Anglo-Saxon culture. The name Lindle comes from when the family lived in either of the settlements called Linley in Shropshire or Wiltshire, or in one of the places called Lindley in Leicestershire or the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Lindle is occasionally derived from residence near a limewood or in a clearing where flax was grown. The surname Lindle belongs to both the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads, and 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.

Early Origins of the Lindle family

The surname Lindle was first found in Yorkshire at Lindley cum Quarmby, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Huddersfield, Upper division of the wapentake of Agbrigg. 1

"The name is derived from Lindley, Yorkshire, which was held (13th cent.) from Roger de Mowbray by knight service, by William de Rodeville or Rudeville, of Normandy. 2 3

The first record of the family found early rolls was Robert de Linleye who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 in Bedfordshire. 4 In Somerset, Augustin Lynleye, was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first years of King Edward III's reign.) 5

Early History of the Lindle family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lindle research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1570, 1599, 1609, 1732, 1758, 1771, 1795, 1799, 1835 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Lindle History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lindle Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Lindle has appeared include Lindlie, Lindly, Lindley, Lindleigh, Lindlee, Lyndley, Lyndly, Lyndlee and many more.

Early Notables of the Lindle family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Sir Henry Lindley (d. 1609), of Leatherly, Yorkshire, knighted at Offaley on 30 July 1599. He was the third son of Laurence Lindley of Leathley by Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Redman of Harewood Cas...
  • John Lindley (1799-1865), was a "botanist and horticulturist, born at Catton, near Norwich, 5 Feb. 1799. His father, George Lindley, an able but unsuccessful nurseryman, was the descendant of a good Y...

Migration of the Lindle family to Ireland

Some of the Lindle 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.


Lindle migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Lindle arrived in North America very early:

Lindle Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Sarah Lindle, who arrived in Maryland in 1651 6


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  6. 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)


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