Contents [hide]

Lindsey History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Lindsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Lindsey

What does the name Lindsey mean?

The Lindsey family originally lived in the parish of Lindsay in the northern English county of Northumberland. Ealdric de Lindsay held estates in both Normandy and in Lincolnshire, England. He was a tenant of English estates for the Earl of Chester.

Early Origins of the Lindsey family

The surname Lindsey was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow where they were descended from Randolph Lord of Toeni who was banished by Duke William from Normandy in 1058 along with many other knights.

He settled on the borders of Lincolnshire and Leicestershire and erected a barony known as Linesi including Belvoir Castle. When the Duke of Normandy invaded England he was again forced to move and settled on the lands of Crawford in Lanarkshire Scotland.

"The first of the name in Scotland is Sir Walter de Lindeseya, who appears as one of the witnesses in the Inquisitio of Earl David concerning the possessions and rights of the see of Glasgow in 1124. His great-grandson, Sir William de Lindeseia, was one of the hostages for King William the Lion, 1174," 1

"Lord Lindsay tells us the names Lindesay and Limesay are identical, both of them implying 'Isle of Lime-trees,' and are frequently interchanged, and applied to the same individuals in ancient public records and in the early transcripts of the Battle Abbey Roll." 2

John Lindsay (d. 1335) was "Bishop of Glasgow, belonged to the family of the Lindsays of Lambertoun in Berwickshire, and was descended from Sir Walter de Lindsay (d. 1222), second son of William Lindsay of Crawford, judiciary of Scotland under William the Lion. He was the son of Walter Lindsay of Lambertoun, and his name first appears as witness to one of the charters, dated about 1275, and preserved in the chartulary of Paisley." 3

Early History of the Lindsey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lindsey research. Another 275 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1174, 1189, 1198, 1200, 1292, 1340, 1396, 1483, 1513, 1552, 1558, 1559, 1589, 1597, 1598, 1608, 1618, 1652, 1659, 1664, 1677, 1679, 1700, 1713, 1714, 1722, 1724, 1737, 1760, 1788 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lindsey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lindsey Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lindsay, Lyndsay, Lyndsey, Lindesey, Lindsey and many more.

Early Notables of the Lindsey family

More information is included under the topic Early Lindsey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lindsey Ranking

In the United States, the name Lindsey is the 411^st most popular surname with an estimated 67,149 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Lindsey family to Ireland

Some of the Lindsey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 278 words (20 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lindsey migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lindsey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Lindsey, (Linzey), who landed in Virginia in 1621 aboard the ship "Supply" 5
Daniel Lindsey who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1637
James Lindsey, who arrived in Maryland in 1647 5
Margaret Lindsey, who arrived in Maryland in 1652 5
Edmond Lindsey, who arrived in Maryland in 1656 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lindsey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Andrew Lindsey, who landed in Virginia in 1713 5
Alexander Lindsey, who arrived in New England in 1719 5
Donald Lindsey, who landed in New York in 1739 5

Lindsey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Lindsey, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 5
Thomas Lindsey, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1803 5
Joseph Lindsey, aged 33, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 5
George Lindsey, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1811 5
Moses Lindsey, aged 27, who arrived in Tennessee in 1812 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lindsey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lindsey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Sam Lindsey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Lindsey migration to Australia +

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

Lindsey Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Edward Lindsey, (b. 1765), aged 32, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1818 6

Lindsey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Lindsey, British Convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Drummond Lindsey, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. William Lindsey, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. James Lindsey, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "England" on 6th June 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
John Lindsey, Canadian convict from St Johns, Newfoundland & Labrador, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lindsey (post 1700) +

Harold Lee Lindsey (1929-2024), American evangelical writer and television host
Hillary Lindsey, American singer-songwriter
David L. Lindsey (b. 1944), American novelist
Isaac Coleman Lindsey (1892-1968), American politician, 39th Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana (1939-1940)
Adrian Hobart "Ad" Lindsey (1895-1980), American football player and coach
Brigadier-General Malcolm Fraser Lindsey (1891-1975), American Commanding General 3rd Service Command (1945-1946) 12
George Smith Lindsey (1935-2012), American actor, best known for his role as "Goober Pyle" on The Andy Griffith Show and his roles in "Hee-Haw"
Lawrence B. Lindsey (b. 1954), American director of the National Economic Council (2001-2002) 13
Steven Wayne Lindsey (b. 1960), American Air Force officer, NASA astronaut, and Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office from 2006 to 2009 14
Captain (USAF) Darrell Robins Lindsey (1919-1944), American bomber pilot awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944 15
... (Another 33 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lindsey family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Jack L. Lindsey, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 16

The Lindsey Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Endure fort
Motto Translation: Endure with strength.

Citations +

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)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Malcolm Lindsey. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lindsey/Malcolm_Fraser/USA.html
Lawrence Lindsey. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Lawrence Lindsey. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_B._Lindsey
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Steven Lindsey. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lindsey.html
Darrell Lindsey. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Darrell Lindsey. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Lindsey
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html