Show ContentsLoveless History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Loveless

What does the name Loveless mean?

The surname Loveless is derived from the Old English word "laweles," which means "lawless" and is ultimately derived from the Old English word "laghles," which means "outlaw." 1 As a surname, it may have come from a nickname for a person who was an outlaw, or was uncontrolled or unrestrained.

The name could have also been derived from the Old English words lufu ‘love’ and -leas ‘free from, without’, ‘loveless’. 1 Lawless is an extension of Lovelace. 2

Early Origins of the Loveless family

The surname Loveless was first found in Somerset where Edith Luvelece was found in the Assize Rolls for 1243. A few years later in Kent, William Luuelaz was registered c. 1250. John Loveles was a Freeman of Leicestershire in 1251 and Albricus Loveles was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Suffolk. Richard Lovelas was registered in Kent in 1344 as was John Lovelace in 1367. Thomas Lagheles, was listed in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1360. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls also include Albricus Loveles, Suffolk and Sarra Loveles, Huntingdonshire. 3 Robert Lovelisse from Berkshire was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford for 1587.

Early History of the Loveless family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loveless research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1367, 1533, 1548, 1551, 1561, 1562, 1568, 1572, 1574, 1577, 1599, 1616, 1618, 1627, 1634, 1638, 1650, 1658, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1670, 1675, 1693, 1734, 1735, 1754, 1773, 1789, 1799, 1837, 1853, 1861 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Loveless History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loveless Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Loveless family name include Lawless, Lawlesse, Lawles, Lovelace, Loveless and others.

Early Notables of the Loveless family

Distinguished members of the family include Nicholas Lawless (1735-1799), created 1st Baron Cloncurry in the Peerage of Ireland, in 1789. John Lawless (1773-1837), Irish agitator, commonly known as 'Honest Jack Lawless,' born in 1773, was the eldest son of Philip Lawless, a respectable brewer at Warrenmount, Dublin, and a distant cousin of Valentine Browne Lawless, Lord Cloncurry [q. v.] He was educated for the bar, but being refused admission by Lord Clare owing to his intimacy with the leaders of the United Irish movement, he was for some time associated with his father in the brewery. 4 Matthew James Lawless (1837-1861), Irish...
Another 532 words (38 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Loveless Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loveless Ranking

In the United States, the name Loveless is the 3,705th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Loveless is ranked the 483rd most popular surname with an estimated 98 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Loveless family to Ireland

Some of the Loveless family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Loveless migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Loveless surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Loveless Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Loveless, who arrived in Maryland in 1664 7
  • Tho Loveless, who landed in Virginia in 1666 7
Loveless Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • William Loveless, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7

Loveless migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Loveless Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • George and James Loveless, who settled in London, Ontario, Canada, in 1844

Loveless 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:

Loveless Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • John Loveless, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1881
  • E. Loveless, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashmore" in 1881

Contemporary Notables of the name Loveless (post 1700) +

  • Robert Loveless, American politician, Mayor of Grants Pass, Oregon, 1977 8
  • Herschel Celiel Loveless (1911-1989), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Ottumwa, Iowa, 1949-53; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Iowa 4th District, 1954; Governor of Iowa, 1957-61 8
  • David W. Loveless, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 1988 8
  • Anderson S. Loveless, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 1888 8
  • Robert Waldorf "Bob" Loveless (1929-2010), American knife maker
  • Patty Loveless (b. 1957), born Patty Lee Ramey, American country music singer, member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1988
  • Herschel Loveless (1911-1989), American politician, the 34th Governor of Iowa, from 1957 to 1961
  • Shane Loveless (b. 1958), former Australian rules footballer
  • Ernie Loveless (b. 1907), Australian rules footballer
  • Lily May Loveless (b. 1990), British actress, best known for her role as Naomi Campbell on the drama Skins

HMS Cornwall
  • William Henry Victor Loveless, British Warrant Office Shipwright aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 9


Suggested Readings for the name Loveless +

  • The American Ancestry of Richard Janssen Chalmers Loveless by Richard William Loveless.

  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  7. 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)
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  9. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A


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