Lyon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Lyon

What does the name Lyon mean?

The distinguished surname Lyon is a proud example of one of the more noteworthy Scottish surnames. In Scotland, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Lyon family originally lived in the Norman settlement of Lyons-la-Foret, before migrating to England and Scotland. 1

Early Origins of the Lyon family

The surname Lyon was first found in Perthshire where Sir Roger de Lyon settled in Scotland in 1098 and called the lands there Glen Lyon. "According to the family tradition the Lyons came to Scotland from France, by way of England, in the course of the twelfth century." 2

However, it appears the family was indeed in England before the 1100s. "Ingelram de Lions came to England 1066, and held Corsham and Culington from the King. He had Ranulph, whose brother William de Lions had a grant in Norfolk from Earl Walter Giffard, and left descendants there." 1

Moving north into Scotland, "John de Lyon obtained from David II a grant of the baronies of Forteviot and Fergundeny in Perthshire and Drumgawan in Aberdeenshire; his son, Sir John Lyon, was Secretary to Robert II, whose youngest daughter, Lady Jane Stewart, he married, and was created Lord Glamis, made Great Chamberlain, and Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and received grants of the Thanedom of Glamis in Forfarshire, and of the Barony of Kinghorn in Fifeshire. " 3

Another source claims that the family arrived via England later. "The name was not uncommon in England in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and landowners of the name were in occupation in several of the English shires in the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. The first of the name recorded in Scotland, probably an English soldier, was Thomas Lyon, crossbowman, who formed one of the garrison of Linlithgow peel in the pay of Edward II. " 2

Mention should now be made of the numerous listings of the family in England at about the same time. Here it is generally thought that the first record of the name was Roger de Leonibus filius Jeffrey de Lions who was listed in the Feet of Fines of Norfolk during the reign of Henry III of England (reign 1216-1272.) The same source lists John de Leonibus in Southamptonshire and Peter de Leonibus in Northamptonshire. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Judaeus Leo and Jacob filius Leonis in Lincolnshire; John Leon in Oxfordshire; and Roger de Lyons, Wiltshire. 4

Early History of the Lyon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lyon research. Another 351 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1105, 1203, 1275, 1310, 1332, 1334, 1342, 1371, 1381, 1393, 1411, 1425, 1445, 1499, 1509, 1525, 1550, 1643, 1663, 1695, 1696, 1702, 1707, 1712, 1715 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lyon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyon Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lyon, Lions, Lyons and others.

Early Notables of the Lyon family

Notable among the family at this time was

John Lyon, 2nd Earl of Kinghorne
John Lyon, 4th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1663-1712), a Scottish peer
John Lyon, 5th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1696-1715), a Scottish peer who died fighting with the Jacobites in The Battle of Sheriffmuir in 1715
Patrick Lyon of Auchterhouse (died 1715), a Scottish politician, he represented the barons of Forfarshire (1702-1707), killed in the Battle of Sheriffmuir

Lyon World Ranking

In the United States, the name Lyon is the 1,117^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Lyon is ranked the 6,561^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 6 And in Australia, the name Lyon is the 917^th popular surname with an estimated 4,295 people with that name. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Lyon as 885^th with 7,734 people. 8

Migration of the Lyon family to Ireland

Some of the Lyon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 118 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyon migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Lyon, who landed in Virginia in 1623 9
William Lyon, who arrived at Boston in 1635
William Lyon, aged 14, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Hopewell", bound for Roxbury 9
Thomas Lyon, who was on record in Connecticut in 1647
Henry Lyon, who arrived in Connecticut in 1648 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lyon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Lyon, who landed in Virginia in 1714 9
Philip Lyon, who landed in South Carolina in 1716 9
James Lyon, who arrived in North Carolina in 1734
John George Lyon, who arrived in Maryland in 1740 9
Samuel Lyon, who landed in Georgia in 1741 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lyon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Lyon, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 9
Thomas Lyon, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1812 9
Isaac Lyon, who landed in Maryland in 1816 9
George Lyon, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1824 9
Carl C Lyon, who arrived in Portsmouth or Norfolk, Va in 1833 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lyon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Benjm Lyon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Eleo Lyon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Henry Lyon, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
Robert Lyon, who arrived in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1773
Margaret Lyon, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1773
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lyon migration to Australia +

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

Lyon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Levy Lyon, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Lyon, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Charles Lyon, Scottish convict from Perth, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 12
Mr. Charles Lyon, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
Thomas Lyon, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lyon 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:

Lyon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

W Lyon, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Duke of Roxburgh 15
William Lyon, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburgh" in 1840 15
Mr. Lyon, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Duke of Roxburgh" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 16
John Lyon, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eagle" in 1854 17
Miss Emma Lyon, (b. 1830), aged 26, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 24th October 1856 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lyon migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18

Lyon Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. John Lyon, aged 18, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 9

Lyon Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Jacob Lyon, who arrived in Jamaica in 1740 9
Benjamin Lyon, who landed in Jamaica in 1781 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Lyon (post 1700) +

Lisa Lyon (1953-2023), American female bodybuilder and photo model from Los Angeles, California, regarded as one of female bodybuilding's pioneers
William Lyon (1923-2020), American major general of the United States Air Force, Commander of the United States Air Force Reserve Command
Richard "Dick" Lyon (1923-2017), United States Navy admiral and politician, mayor of Oceanside, California
Brigadier-General Alfred Jefferson Lyon (1892-1942), American Attached to the Office of the Chief of the Air Corps (1939-1942) 19
Major-General Edwin Bowman Lyon (1892-1971), American Commanding General, Air, Middle Pacific (1945) 20
Hylan B. Lyon (1836-1907), Confederate General in the US Civil War
Ben Lyon (1901-1979), American film actor
Danny Lyon (b. 1942), American photographer and filmmaker
Edward Eugene Lyon (1871-1931), American Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
Alfred P. Lyon, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, 1894-98 21
... (Another 116 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lyon family +

HMS Dorsetshire

John Kenneth Lyon, British Lieutenant aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 22

Vimy Ridge

Edwin Percy Lyon (1896-1917), Canadian farmer, Private in the 44th Battalion from Manitoba who died at Vimy Ridge February 1917

The Lyon 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: Pro rege et patria
Motto Translation: For King and country.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
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
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 10) Alfred Lyon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lyon/Alfred_Jefferson/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 10) Edwin Lyon. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Lyon/Edwin_Bowman/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html