| ![Show Contents]() Leever History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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England Etymology of LeeverWhat does the name Leever mean? The name Leever is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in the township of Great Lever in Lancashire as well as in Little Lever the chapelry in the parish of Bolton in Lancashire. The Leever family were industrialists and millers, perhaps giving rise to the modern city of Liverpool, from their own Leaver's Port. Early Origins of the Leever familyThe surname Leever was first found in Lancashire at Little Lever, now a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester. Great Lever, a township nearby "was long held by the family of Lever, but in the 6th year of Edward IV., Sir Rauff Assheton, Knt., sued out a 'write of right of warde' against Roger Lever, for the recovery of the manor, and obtained judgment against him at the assizes of Lancaster. Lever, however, with a number of dependants of his name, and a large concourse of persons, many of whom had been outlawed, riotously broke into Lancaster Castle, and carried off the record of recovery. Sir Rauff complaining of this outrage to the two houses of parliament, they ordained that the copy of the record which was annexed to his petition should be of the same force and efficacy as the original; and the justices thereupon ordered execution to issue, and reinstated him in the possession, which, notwithstanding, was not undisturbed until some time after. " 1 The village's name was derived from the Old English word "laefre," which means "place where the rushes grow." 2 The first listing of the place name was found in 1212 when it was listed as Parua Lefre. 2 Nearby is Darcy Lever which was the ancestral home of the D'Arcy family since 1590. Early History of the Leever familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Leever research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1521, 1551, 1553 and 1577 are included under the topic Early Leever History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Leever Spelling VariationsIt is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Leever are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Leever include: Lever, Leaver, Leyver and others. Early Notables of the Leever familyAnother 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Leever Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Leever familyMany English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Leever or a variant listed above: Ashton Lever and James Lever, who settled in Maryland in 1775; Adam, James, John, Lawrence, and William Lever, who all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Leever (post 1700) | + |
- Samuel Leever (1871-1953), nicknamed "The Goshen Schoolmaster," an American Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played from 1898 to 1910 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Gerard Leever (b. 1960), Dutch cartoonist, winner of the 2006 Stripschapprijs
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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