Lummis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Lummis name is derived from a now lost place near Bury in Lancashire, recorded in the Middle Ages as Lumhalghs. This place-name is in turn derived from the Old English words "lumm" which means "pool," and "halh," which means "nook" or "recess." 1 2

Early Origins of the Lummis family

The surname Lummis was first found in Lancashire where one of the first records of the name was Christopher Lomax of Bury, who was listed there in 1590 in the Wills at Chester (1545-1620.) The same source lists Jeffrey Lomax, of Heap in the same year. 2 Richard Lumas, Lumax and Geoffrey Lomax were listed in 1602, 1622 and 1642 in The Rolls of Burgesses at the Guilds Merchant of the Borough of Preston. John Lummis was listed in the Hearth Tax Returns for Suffolk in 1674. 3 The Preston Guild Rolls also list Oliver Lumas in 1602, Oliver Lumax in 1622. Richard Lumas-jur in 1602 and Richard Lumax-jur in 1622. 2

Early History of the Lummis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lummis research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1601, 1602 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Lummis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lummis Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Lomax, Lomas, Loomas, Loomis, Lummis, Lummus and others.

Early Notables of the Lummis family

More information is included under the topic Early Lummis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Lummis family to Ireland

Some of the Lummis 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.

Lummis 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:

Lummis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Jane Lummis, (b. 1859), aged 3 months, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 4
Mrs. Sarah Lummis, (b. 1827), aged 32, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 4
Mr. George Lummis, (b. 1828), aged 31, British carpenter travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 4
Mr. John Lummis, (b. 1857), aged 2, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Regina" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th December 1859 4
Arthur Lummis, aged 24, a smith, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lummis (post 1700) +

Dayton Lummis Sr. (1903-1988), American actor of film and television, known for Elmer Gantry (1960), The Wrong Man (1956) and Julius Caesar (1953)
C. Douglas Lummis (b. 1936), American marine, writer, former professor at Tsuda College in Tokyo
Suzanne Lummis (b. 1951), American poet, poetry teacher, and co-founder and present director of the Los Angeles Poetry Festival
Charles Fletcher Lummis (1859-1928), American journalist and Indian rights and historic preservation activist
Adelaide Lummis, American actor, known for Bindlestiffs (2012), Colt (2012)and Rémy (2013)
John C. Lummis, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Salem County, 1852 5
Doran Lummis, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wyoming, 1972 5
Trevor Lummis (1930-2013), English writer and historian, Honourary Treasurer of the Oral History Society
Canon William Murrell Lummis MC (1886-1985), British military historian
Benjamin "Ben" Lummis (b. 1978), New Zealand R&B/Pop recording artist

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html