Contents [hide]

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

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Sources

Lavender History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Lavender

What does the name Lavender mean?

The name Lavender is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person who worked as the lavandierer, which was an ancient French word that referred to those individuals who worked as a launderer, washing clothes or raw wool. 1 2 3

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from lavender, the sweet smelling flower that had been used for centuries to freshen up clothes and homes. 4

Early Origins of the Lavender family

The surname Lavender was first found in Oxfordshire where Ysabelle le Lauendere was registered as holding lands at Oseney in 1253. A few years later, Ralf le Lavendere was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1268 and Thomas Launder was a Freeman of York in 1331. 5

Early History of the Lavender family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lavender research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1524, 1538 and 1752 are included under the topic Early Lavender History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavender Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Lavender include Lavender, Lavendar and others.

Early Notables of the Lavender family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Peter Lavender of Cambridgeshire

Lavender Ranking

In the United States, the name Lavender is the 3,968^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 6

Lavender migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Lavender were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Lavender Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Lavender, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
Captain Lavender, who settled in Boston in 1768
Robert Lavender, who arrived in Charles Town in 1772
John Lavender, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Lavender Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Lavender, aged 33, British settler who arrived in New Orleans aboard the ship "Echo" on 16th April 1841
Mr. James Lavender, aged 30, British perfumer who arrived in New Orleans aboard the ship "Echo" on 16th April 1841

Lavender migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lavender Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Lavender U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 207 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 8
Mrs. MaryLavender U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 305 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York, USA 8

Lavender migration to Australia +

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

Lavender Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Lavender, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Reuben Lavender, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. William Lavender, (b. 1815), aged 19, Irish servant born in Westmeath, Ireland who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1836 11
Michael Lavender, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "D'Auvergne" in 1839 12
Mr. Mark Lavender, English convict who was convicted in Maidstone, Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13

Lavender 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:

Lavender Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles B. Lavender, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 14
Edward Lavender, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Lavender (post 1700) +

Robert E. Lavender (b. 1926), former American Justice on the Oklahoma Supreme Court
Joseph "Joe" Lavender (b. 1949), former American football cornerback
Jody Lavender (b. 1979), American NASCAR driver
David Sievert Lavender (1910-2003), American historian and writer of the Western United States
Jimmy Lavender (1884-1960), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Jantel Lavender, American professional basketball player
Dr. Abraham D. Lavender (b. 1940), American professor of Sociology at Florida International University
Drew Lavender, American basketball player
George Lavender, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Limestone Springs, South Carolina, 1866-74 15
Deb Lavender, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives 90th District, 2012 15
... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lavender family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Thomas Lavender, British Musician, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 16

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) D'AUVERGNE 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839D'Auvergne.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html