| ![Show Contents]() Less History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Etymology of LessWhat does the name Less mean? The name Less arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Less family lived in Berkshire. Their name, however, is a reference to their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Loches, Normandy. Early Origins of the Less familyThe surname Less was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Less familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Less research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1067 is included under the topic Early Less History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Less Spelling VariationsA multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Lush, Luss, Losh, Lusk and others. Early Notables of the Less familyMore information is included under the topic Early Less Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Less family to IrelandSome of the Less family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Less migration to the United States | + |
Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Less or a variant listed above:
Less Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Christen Less, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1796 1
Less Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John Less, who landed in Louisiana in 1805-1809 1
- Gus Less, who arrived in Arkansas in 1882 1
| Contemporary Notables of the name Less (post 1700) | + |
- Frank W. Less, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Iowa 2nd District, 1962 2
- Barbara J. Less, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 12th District, 2000 2
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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