Lewis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The proud Lewis surname is from the personal name Lewis, an Anglicized form of the Welsh name Llewellyn. This name is often explained as meaning “lion-like,” but is in fact probably derived from the Welsh word “llyw,” which means “leader.” Alternatively, the nameLewis is also an Anglo-French form of the Old Frankish name Hludwig, which means “loud battle.”

Early Origins of the Lewis family

The surname Lewis was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, where the family held a seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lewis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lewis research.

Lewis Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variationswere, however, also carried out according to an individual’s design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one’s name. The spelling variations of the name Lewis have included Lewis, Lewiss, Lewess, Lews, Llewys, Llewis, Lewwis, Llewess and many more.

Early Notables of the Lewis family (pre 1700)

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir William Lewis, 1st Baronet (1598-1677), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1677; William Lewis (1625-1661), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660; Richard Lewis (c 1627-1706), an English landowner. 

Lewis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lewis is the 23^rd most popular surname with an estimated 562,062 people with that name. [1] However, in Canada, the name Lewis is ranked the 61^stmost popular surname with an estimated 35,038 people with that name. [2] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Lewis is the 899^th popular surname. [3] Newfoundland, Canada ranksLewis as 64^th with 412 people. [4] Australia ranks Lewis as 47^th with 40,743 people. [5]New Zealand ranks Lewis as 70^th with 4,848 people. [6] The United Kingdom ranks Lewisas 22^nd with 116,009 people. [7] South Africa ranks Lewis as 337^th with 20,102 people. [8]

 Migration of the Lewis family to Ireland

Some of the Lewis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 Lewis migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Walesjourneyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Lewis: 

Lewis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Roger Lewis, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 [9]
• Thomas Lewis, who landed in New Hampshire in 1630 [9]
• William Lewis, who landed in New England in 1630 [9]
• George Lewis, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1630 [9]
• Mrs. Felix Lewis, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632 aboard the ship “Lyon” [10]

Lewis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Francis Lewis, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 [9]
• Xto Lewis, who landed in Virginia in 1706 [9]
• Ellis Lewis, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1708 [9]
• Ellis Lewis, who settled in Kennett, Pennsylvania in 1708
• Jone Lewis, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 [9]

Lewis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Ruhard Lewis, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1802 [9]
• Susan Lewis, aged 36, who landed in Delaware in 1803 [9]
• Andw Lewis, aged 20, who landed in Delaware in 1803 [9]
• Fanny Lewis, aged 70, who landed in Delaware in 1803 [9]
• Fanny, Lewis Jr., aged 15, who landed in Delaware in 1803 [9]

Lewis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

• William J Lewis, who arrived in Arkansas in 1901 [9]
• Harold S Lewis, who landed in Colorado in 1903 [9]
• Nathaniel Lewis, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1905 [9]
• Leonard Gaetz Lewis, who arrived in Alabama in 1913 [9]

 Lewis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were: 

Lewis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

• David Lewis, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
• John Lewis, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
• Thomas Lewis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
• Martha Lewis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
• Mary Lewis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Lewis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Isaac Lewis, who arrived in Canada in 1828
• Eleazar Lewis, who arrived in Canada in 1829
• Elizabeth Lewis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1832
• Joseph Lewis, aged 27, a chordwinder, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the barque “Alchymist” from Falmouth, Cornwall, England
• John Lewis, aged 25, a currier, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship “Hibernia” from Kinsale, Ireland

 Lewis migration to Australia+

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: 

Lewis Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

• Mr. John Lewis, (Sinderbury), (b. 1771), aged 26, English convict who was convicted in Hereford, Herefordshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the “Barwell” in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [11]
• Miss Elizabeth Lewis, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years , transported aboard the “Britannia III” on 18th July 1798, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [12]

Lewis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• Mr. Thomas Lewis, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, Englandfor 7 years, transported aboard the “Earl Cornwallis” in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [13]
• Mr. William Lewis, British convict who was convicted in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales for life, transported aboard the “Calcutta” in February 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [14]
• Miss Margaret Lewis, British Convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, Englandfor 7 years, transported aboard the “Experiment” on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [15]
• Mr. John Lewis, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the “Duke of Portland” in January 1807, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [16]
• William Lewis, English convict from Shropshire, who was transported aboard the “Ann” on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia [17]

 Lewis 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: 

Lewis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Francis Charles Lewis, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
• J Lewis, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Oriental
• John Henry Lewis, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
• Benjamin Lewis, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
• David Lewis, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Oriental

 Lewis migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960’s many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [18]

Lewis Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

• Richard Lewis, who was aboard the ship “Sea Venture” who wrecked in Bermudas in 1609, he died in Bermuda [9]

Contemporary Notables of the name Lewis (post 1700) +

• John Llewellyn Lewis (1880-1969), American Labour leader and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Jerry Lewis (1926-2017), born Joseph or Jerome Levitch, an American actor, comedian, singer, film producer, film director, screenwriter, and humanitarian, famous for his partnership with Dean Martin and later his live Labor Day weekend broadcast of the JerryLewis MDA Telethon for 44 years, known as The King of Comedy
• Sir William Arthur Lewis (1915-1991), Saint Lucian economist, winner of the 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics becoming the first Black person to win a Nobel Prize in a category other than peace
• John Robert Lewis (1940-2020), American civil rights leader and politician, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
• Delano Eugene Lewis (1938-2023), American attorney, businessman and diplomat, United States Ambassador to South Africa from 2000 to 2001, father of actor Phill Lewis
• Don Lewis (1941-2022), American vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and electronic engineer and inventor of the Live Electronic Orchestra (LEO)
• Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022), American famous musician from Louisiana, one of the ten charter members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, remembered for “Great Balls of Fire”, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On”, “High School Confidential” and many more
• Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (1935-2022), American jazz composer, pianist, and radio personality who recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards
• Helen Matthews Lewis (1924-2022), American sociologist, historian, and activist who specialized in Appalachia and women’s rights
• James M. Lewis Jr. (1943-2022), American pharmacist and politician, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee; he served in the Tennessee Senate from 1986 to 1990