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Lasley History Etymology Coat of Arms Creation Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Lasley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Lasley

What does the name Lasley mean?

The ancestors of the first family to use the name Lasley lived among the ancient Scottish people called the Picts. The Lasley family lived in the barony of Leslie in the county of Aberdeen. The surname Lasley belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Lasley Coat of Arms Creation

The Earl of Rothes is now the head of the Leslies, and his crest is a demi-griffin--a fanciful crest-which, according to some authorities, means wisdom joined to fortitude. In the coat of arms there are three buckles for Leslie, and one wonders whether they were put there in memory of the buckles on Queen Margaret's girdle when Bartholomew Leslie saved her in the following circumstances.

In crossing a river swollen by floods the Queen was thrown from her horse and was in danger of being carried away and drowned, when the brave Bartholomew plunged into the stream, seized her Majesty by the girdle, and, as he with difficulty was bringing her to the bank, she kept on exclaiming " Grip fast," and afterwards expressed a wish that her preserver should retain the words as a motto in remembrance of his brave action, and " Grip fast " has been the motto of Leslie ever since. 1

Early Origins of the Lasley family

The surname Lasley was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland, where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated on the lands of Leslie. "This place is said to have derived its name from a family who held the lands so early as the eleventh century." 2

It is generally believed the family was descended from Bartholomew Leslyn, son of Walter de Leslyn, a Flemish knight who attended Queen Margaret when she arrived to marry King Malcolm of Scotland in 1067. 3 4

According to legend, the wife of King Malcolm III was thrown from her horse while crossing a river and nearly drowned, but Leslyn, gripping the horses bridle, saved her. She frequently cautioned him to 'grip fast' and afterwards commanded that he retain those words as his family motto. He later married the sister of Malcolm Ceanmore, and so was appointed Governor of Edinburgh Castle and made Lord Leslie. 4

Malcolm Leslie of Garioch in Aberdeenshire, son of Bartolf, received a feudal charter confirming his lands from a grant made to his name-father, Lord Leslie. Malcolm's grandson, Sir Andrew de Lesly, was one of the signatories of the 1320 'Arbroath Declaration of Independence' to the Pope, which affirmed Scotland's sovereignty and included the words: "as long as one hundred Scotsmen still live they would never submit to English rule."

Another source claims the family "trace their origin to Bartholomew, a Flemish chief, who settled with his followers in the district of Garioch, in Aberdeenshire, in the reign of William the Lion. He took the name of De Lesley from the place where he settled. The heralds, however, have an old legend representing the first man of the family as having acquired distinction and a name at once, by overcoming a knight in battle, at a spot between a less lee (meadow) and a greater." 5

Whichever origin the reader chooses, all agree that one of the first records of the family was "Earl David, brother of William the Lion, granted c. 1171-1199 the lands of Lesslyn in the Garioch to Malcolm son of Bartholf. " 6

As far as the origin of the Coat of Arms is concerned perhaps this quote will shed some light: "Sir Norman de Lechelyn of Aberdeenshire rendered homage in 1296. His seal bears six shields in a circle conjoined in base, each charged with 3 round buckles on a bend." 6 It's a little different that the one anciently used by the family but it is significant in that it notes that the family was using a variant of the same as far back as the 13th century.

Early History of the Lasley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lasley research. Another 309 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1340, 1411, 1527, 1562, 1571, 1580, 1596, 1600, 1607, 1635, 1641, 1650, 1661, 1667, 1671, 1680, 1682, 1693, 1711, 1722, 1758, 1797, 1850 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lasley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lasley Spelling Variations

In the Middle ages, spelling and translation were not yet regulated by any general rules. spelling variations in names were common even among members of one family unit. Lasley has appeared Leslie, Lesley, Lessely, Lessley, Lesslie and others.

Early Notables of the Lasley family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was John Lesley (1527-1596) Scottish bishop, historian, and statesman, ecclesiastical adviser to Mary Queen of Scots; Henry Leslie (1580-1661) Scottish-born, Church of Ireland Bishop of Down and Connor (1635 to 1661) and briefly Bishop of Meath (1661); John Leslie (1571-1671), a Scottish royalist bishop of Clogher, known as the "fighting bishop" for his resistance to the Irish rebellion of 1641 and the parliamentarian forces; and...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lasley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lasley Ranking

In the United States, the name Lasley is the 6,357^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Lasley family to Ireland

Some of the Lasley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 86 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lasley migration to the United States +

Faced by this persecution and the generally unstable political climate of those days, many Scots chose to leave their homeland for Ireland, Australia, and North America in search of greater opportunity and freedom. The colonies across the Atlantic were the most popular choice, but a passage there was neither cheap nor easily suffered. Passengers arrived sick and poor, but those who made it intact often found land and more tolerant societies in which to live. These brave settlers formed the backbone of the burgeoning nations of Canada and the United States. It is only this century that the ancestors of these families have begun to recover their collective identity through the patriotic highland games and Clan societies that have sprung up throughout North America. Research into early immigration and passenger lists revealed many immigrants bearing the name Lasley:

Lasley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Lasley, who arrived in Virginia in 1660 8
Fran Lasley, who landed in Virginia in 1664 8
David Lasley, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 8

Lasley Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ella Lasley, aged 38, who settled in America, in 1905
Orphelia Lasley, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1907
Rubie Lasley, aged 18, who landed in America, in 1907
Mrs. E.D. Lasley, aged 38, who landed in America, in 1908
Mrs. William Lasley, aged 43, who immigrated to America, in 1910
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Lasley (post 1700) +

David Eldon Lasley (1947-2021), American recording artist, singer and songwriter, known for his contributions as a background singer for such artists as Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Luther Vandross, Chic, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and Boz Scaggs
Willard Almond "Bill" Lasley (1902-1990), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the St. Louis Browns in 1924
Keith Lasley (b. 1979), Scottish professional footballer

The Lasley 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: Grip fast

Citations +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
"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)