Origins Available: English, Irish
Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the baptismal name for Leonard. In the religious naming tradition surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint. In this case the surname Lenearde was originally derived from the well-known saint, St. Leonard who was a popular both in England and in France.
Early Origins of the Lenearde family
Kent where they held a family seat from very early times.
Early History of the Lenearde family
Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1570, 1616, 1615, 1590, 1591, 1604, 1680, 1637, 1709, 1681, 1685, 1698, 1701, 1654, 1715, 1661, 1722 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Lenearde History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Lenearde Spelling Variations
spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Lenearde has been recorded under many different variations, including Leonard, Leonards, Lennard and others.
Early Notables of the Lenearde family (pre 1700)
Baron Dacre (1570-1616), an English Baron and politician; Sampson Lennard (died 1615), of Chevening in Kent, an English Member of Parliament, High Sheriff of Kent (1590-1591); Sir Stephen Lennard (c. 1604-1680), 1st Baronet of West Wickham; and his son...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lenearde Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Lenearde family to Ireland
Some of the Lenearde family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Lenearde family to the New World and Oceana
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Lenearde or a variant listed above: John Leonard brought his family to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1639 and was killed fighting Indians in 1676. Henry Leonard settled in Massachusetts in 1640.
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