Show ContentsLyall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Lyall family

The surname Lyall was first found in Kent where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held lands.

Early History of the Lyall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lyall research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Lyall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyall Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Liall, Lyall, Lial and others.

Early Notables of the Lyall family

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

Lyall Ranking

In the United States, the name Lyall is the 12,789th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


Lyall migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyall Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Francis Lyall, who settled in Boston in 1638
  • Francis Lyall, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1638 2
  • Dennis Lyall, who arrived in Virginia in 1649 2
Lyall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Lyall, who settled in Boston in 1761
Lyall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Lyall, who landed in America in 1839 2

Lyall migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. John Lyall U.E. who settled in Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 3

Lyall migration to Australia +

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

Lyall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Lyall, (Duncanson, Duncan), (b. 1793), aged 20, British Convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life for robbery, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Robert William Lyall, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
  • Mr. William Lyall, (b. 1809), aged 29, English cabinet maker who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1881 6
  • Margaret Housemaid Lyall, aged 123, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Hyderabad" 7
  • Henry Lyall, aged 27, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"

Lyall 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:

Lyall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Lyall, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Alexander Lyall, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
  • Robert Lyall, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Olympus
  • William Lyall, aged 42, a shoemaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
  • Lucy Lyall, aged 45, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lyall (post 1700) +

  • Harry Robert Lyall (1949-2024), American conductor and opera administrator
  • John A. Lyall, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1996, 2004 8
  • Gavin Tudor Lyall (1932-2003), English suspense novelist
  • Jim Lyall (1945-2022), Newfoundland-born, Canadian politician and Inuit advocate, the first President of Nunatsiavut
  • Katharine Culbert Lyall, President of the University of Wisconsin
  • Sir Charles James Lyall (1845-1920), British civil servant and Arabist scholar
  • Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall (1835-1911), British civil servant, literary historian and poet
  • Lieutenant Graham Thomson Lyall (1892-1941), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War 9
  • Robert Lyall Hannaford (b. 1944), nicknamed "Alfie", an Australian realist artist
  • Edward Lyall Corrie (1848-1931), English rower


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  5. 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
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
  7. South Australian Register Wednesday 15th March 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Hyderabad 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/hyderabad1854.shtml
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Graham Lyall. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Graham Lyall. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_Thomson_Lyall


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