| ![Show Contents]() Lash History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of LashWhat does the name Lash mean? The name Lash finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a doctor. 1 Throughout the Middle Ages, doctors were known as "leaches" as the practice of bleeding sick people was the generally accepted manner of curing them. There are countless people in the Middle Ages who died thanks to the common cold; not because the virus killed them, but because they bled to death on the advice of their physicians. Bleeding was accomplished by placing a dozen or so leaches on the person who was ill so that they could remove the poisons that were making them ill, hence the name "leach" for the occupation of doctor. It is small wonder that illness was so feared in the medieval period; many people died from illnesses that would not have otherwise killed them because their doctors were weakening them through loss of blood. Since the 1970s, Hirudo medicinalis, better known as the European medicinal leech has been routinely used to drain blood after reconstructive surgery, particularly in finger reattachment and reconstructive surgery of the ear, nose, lip, and eyelid. Early Origins of the Lash familyThe surname Lash was first found in Oxfordshire where the earliest records of the family were found as Edmund le Leche and William le Leche who were both listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. A few years later, Robert le Leche was listed in the Writs of Parliament of 1307. 2 Further north in Scotland, many records were found including: Henry Leche held a tenement in Glasgow in 1325. "Henry Leche, is later referred to in a safe conduct by Edward III of England in 1348 as "Hector medicus David de Bruys." From another reference to him in 1369, he turns out to be a MacBeth, perhaps one of the family of hereditary doctors of that name so famous in West Highland history. Wilham de Lech or Leche was burgess of Aberdeen, 1362. He may be William Leche, merchant of Aberdeen, whose goods were plundered in England, 1370, when his ship was driven ashore in Kirklee Rode, Suffolk." 3 They also settled in Monteith where they gave their name to Leitchtown. Early History of the Lash familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lash research. Another 431 words (31 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1363, 1367, 1372, 1386, 1421, 1429, 1440, 1452, 1466, 1484, 1487, 1500, 1511, 1520, 1550, 1580, 1587, 1624, 1638, 1639, 1666, 1767, 1779 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lash History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Lash Spelling VariationsThe English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Lash has been recorded under many different variations, including Leach, Leech, Leche, Leitch, Leich, Leetch and others. Early Notables of the Lash familyMore information is included under the topic Early Lash Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Lash RankingIn the United States, the name Lash is the 3,969th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4 Migration of the Lash family to IrelandSome of the Lash family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Lash migration to the United States | + |
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lash or a variant listed above:
Lash Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Lash, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1682 5
Lash Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Stephn Lash, aged 36, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1739 5
- Joseph Lash, who landed in America in 1764 5
| Lash migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Lash Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. James Lash, (b. 1783), aged 62, English convict who was convicted in Hertfordshire, England for 15 years for forgery, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, he died in 1849 6
| Lash 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: Lash Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- William Lash, aged 27, a bricklayer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878
| Contemporary Notables of the name Lash (post 1700) | + |
- William C. Lash, American politician, Independent Progressive Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1924 7
- Thomas Lash, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 46th District, 2002, 2004 (Green) 7
- Nelson W. Lash, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 86th District, 1974 7
- Karen A. Lash, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1996 7
- Israel George Lash (1810-1878), American Republican politician, Delegate to North Carolina State Constitutional Convention, 1868; U.S. Representative from North Carolina 5th District, 1868-71 7
- Genevieve Lash, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1972 7
- Edgar L. Lash, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1952; Mayor of Massillon, Ohio, 1954 7
- Zebulon Aiton Lash (1846-1920), Canadian lawyer, civil servant, and businessman
| Suggested Readings for the name Lash | + |
- The History of the Descendants of Jacob Lash by Dorothy Smith Lathrop.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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