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. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1598, 1677, 1640, 1677, 1625, 1661, 1660, 1627, 1706, 1616, 1679, 1664, 1699, 1690, 1650, 1674, 1669, 1675 and are included under the topic Early Lewis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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 and… 
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lewis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

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.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

 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: