Lewellyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

Etymology of Lewellyn

What does the name Lewellyn mean?

The Lewellyn surname is derived from the Welsh personal name Llewellyn, which was also spelled Llywelin. This name is often explained as meaning lion-like, but is in fact probably derived from the Welsh word "llyw," which means leader. The Welsh double l was a constant source of trouble to English speakers, and was often translated "f." "A very ancient Welsh personal name, borne by many princes and magnates of Celtic origin." 1

Early Origins of the Lewellyn family

The surname Lewellyn was first found in Pembrokeshire (Welsh: Sir Benfro), a county in south-west Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth. The most famous and oldest reference of the name was Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c.1212-1246), Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246, the first ruler to claim the title Prince of Wales. His father was Llywelyn the Great (Welsh: Llywelyn Fawr) (c. 1172-1240), Prince of Gwynedd in north Wales who eventually became ruler over most of Wales. "Davydd ab Llewelyn died at Aber, about 1246, and was buried in the abbey of Conway." 2

Over in Aberedow, South Wales "Llewelyn's Cave, is said to have been occasionally used as an asylum by that brave, but unfortunate, prince, Llewelyn ab Grufydd, the last royal defender of Welsh liberty and independence, against the overpowering army of Edward I." 2

Early History of the Lewellyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lewellyn research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1380, 1415 and 1500 are included under the topic Early Lewellyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lewellyn Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Lewellyn have included Flewelling, Flewellen, Llewellen, Llewillan, Llewellyn, Alewellyin, Flewellyn, Flywillan, Fleuellan, Llewallin, Llewallyn, Flewellan, Flewellin, Llewellan, Lewellin, Lewellen, Lewillan, Lewellyn, Lywellen, Lywellin, Lewallin and many more.

Early Notables of the Lewellyn family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel (c. 1380-1415), better known as Dafydd Gam or Davy Gam, a Welsh medieval...
Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lewellyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lewellyn Ranking

In the United States, the name Lewellyn is the 15,145^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Lewellyn migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Lewellyn:

Lewellyn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Lewellyn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 4
Moses Lewellyn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1865 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Lewellyn (post 1700) +

Justin Lewellyn (1952-2012), English actor, known for his work on Die Another Day (2002) and Inside 'Die Another Day' (2003)
Jerome Lewellyn Babe (1837-1893), American diamond miner and inventor; he emigrated to the Cape Colony c. 1865 as a salesman for the Winchester Repeating Arms Company but soon got involved in diamonds developing the "Yankee Baby" mineral screen
Calvin Lewellyn Rampton (1913-2007), American Democratic Party politician, Davis County Attorney, 1939-41; Governor of Utah, 1965-77 5
Lewellyn J. Storrs, American Republican politician, First Selectman of Mansfield, Connecticut, 1897-99; Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Mansfield; Elected 1904, 1910 6
Lewellyn M. Barker, American politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Branford, 1912, 1914 7

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales. Institute of Historical Research, 1849, Print.
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 24) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html