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Laver History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Laver History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Laver

What does the name Laver mean?

The distinguished surname Laver is derived from the Old English "laefer," and indicates a "dweller by the bulrushes or the wild iris." 1 The name is also borne by places in the county of Essex: High Laver, Little Laver, and Magdalen Laver. 2

Early Origins of the Laver family

The surname Laver was first found in Essex, where Eustace de Lagefara was listed in the Pipe Rolls for 1190. Later, Reginald de Laufare was listed in 1276 and John Laver was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Cheshire in 1327. 3

"The Lavers bear an ancient name, and are now established in Somerset and Dorset. In the 13th century Le Laverd was an Oxfordshire name, and Laver occurred in Cambridgeshire." 4

Early History of the Laver family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laver research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1190, 1276 and 1327 are included under the topic Early Laver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laver Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Laver, Lavers, Laufer, Lauver, Lauvers, Laufers and others.

Early Notables of the Laver family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the distinguished Laver family of Magdalen Laver

Laver migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Laver or a variant listed above:

Laver Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Laver, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 5

Laver Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Laver, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 5

Laver migration to Australia +

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

Laver Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Laver, a shoemaker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Henry Laver, English convict from Somerset, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
John Laver, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1840 7

Laver 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:

Laver Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Laver, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 8
Mr. Samuel Laver, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 9
Charles Laver, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862
Caroline Laver, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Romulus" in 1862
Robert Laver, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1881
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Laver (post 1700) +

Richard Joseph Laver (1942-2012), American mathematician, working in set theory
Arnold Laver, founder of Arnold Laver Ltd, and English timber merchant with over 800 employees
Basil Laver MS, FRCS (1894-1934), British surgeon, born in South African he was educated at Guy's Hospital, he served in World War I
John David Michael Henry Laver CBE, FBA, FRSE (1938-2020), British phonetician, he was a professor of speech sciences at Queen Margaret University, and served as president of the International Phonetic Association from 1991 to 1995
Rudolph Laver (1872-1946), Australian-German electrical engineer
Leslie Frederick Laver (1900-1982), Australian rules footballer
Jack Francis Lee Laver (1917-2017), Tasmanian cricketer
Augustus Laver (1834-1898), Canadian architect
Arthur Laver (1880-1965), South African cricket umpire, born in Sydney, Australia
Frank Laver (1869-1919), Australian cricketer
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Laver family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Douglas R Laver, British sailor, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 10

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BABOO 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Baboo.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html