Show ContentsLaner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Laner

What does the name Laner mean?

The name Laner comes from one of the family having worked as a person who worked as alanelier which was an Old French word denoting a maker of woollen cloth. The original bearers of this surname were those individuals who dressed, wove and sold wool. The lanelier would have had his own business premises so that he could have weavers make the wool into sellable garments.

Early Origins of the Laner family

The surname Laner was first found in Huntingdonshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Laner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laner research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1279, 1292, 1561, 1567, 1569, 1588, 1611, 1625, 1645 and 1666 are included under the topic Early Laner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Laner have been found, including: Laner, Lanyer, Layner, Leyner, Laneir and others.

Early Notables of the Laner family

Distinguished members of the family include Hugo le Layner, a prominent 13th century landholder in Yorkshire; Nicholas Lanier the Elder, a French musician who arrived in England in 1561 and settled in London; he played the flute and the cornett; and his son, Jerome Lanier, an English musician, sackbut player; and...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Laner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Laner migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Laner, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :

Laner Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Temperance Laner, who sailed to Virginia in 1652
  • Temperancce Laner, who landed in Virginia in 1652 1
Laner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • H. Laner, who journeyed to Colorado in 1885
  • Haner Laner, who arrived in Colorado in 1885 1

Laner migration to Australia +

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

Laner Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • George Laner, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1847 2

Laner 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:

Laner Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Frederick Laner, aged 22, a shoemaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874
  • George Laner, aged 18, a shoemaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Golden Sea" in 1874


  1. 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)
  2. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARINER 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Mariner.htm


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