Lewis Family History

Lewis Surname Meaning

English: from the Middle English Old French personal name Lewis, Leweis, Lowis from ancient Germanic (originally West Frankish) Hludwig (itself from hlōd- ‘fame, famous’ + wīg- ‘battle’). This was Latinized as Ludovicus and Chlodovisus, which were gallicized as Clovis or Clouis, French Louis.

The name may also appear as Lawis, Laweys, Lawes by unrounding of the vowel of Lowis on the analogy of the variation between Low and Law as pet forms of Middle English Lourence alias Laurence. This surname is also very common among African Americans. See Laws 2 and compare Lawrence.

Welsh: adopted for the Welsh personal name Llywelyn (see Llewellyn). Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Lughaidh ‘son of Lughaidh’. This is one of the most common Old Irish personal names.

It is derived from Lugh ‘brightness’, which was the name of a Celtic god. Americanized form of French Louis. Americanized form of various like-sounding Jewish surnames.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 廖 (see Liao), 羅 (see Luo), 劉 (see Liu).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Lewin, Levis, Clewis, Lein, Remis, Leis, Lees, Reis, Levin, Leys

4M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
540K	Military Records
354K	Immigration Records
3M	Census and Voter Lists
8M	Member Trees

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Where is the Lewis family from?

You can see how Lewis families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lewis family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lewis families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 16,216 Lewis families living in Glamorgan. This was about 19% of all the recorded Lewis's in United Kingdom. Glamorgan had the highest population of Lewis families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lewis surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Lewis

What did your Lewis ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Lewis. 5% of Lewis men worked as a General labourer and 63% of Lewis women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lewis were Builders labourer and Domestic duties.

View Census Data for Lewis

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

Farmer

Colliery hewer

Builders labourer

Unpaid domestic duties

63%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Domestic duties

What Lewis family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 3M census records available for the last name Lewis. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lewis census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Lewis

Passenger List

There are 354K immigration records available for the last name Lewis. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Lewis immigration records

Military Records

There are 540K military records available for the last name Lewis. For the veterans among your Lewis ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lewis military records

You've only scratched the surface of Lewis family history

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What is the average Lewis lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Lewis life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Lewis in 1940 was 46, and 73 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Lewis family tree

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Lewis Surname Meaning

It is derived from Lugh ‘brightness’, which was the name of a Celtic god. Americanized form of French Louis. Americanized form of various like-sounding Jewish surnames.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surnames 廖 (see Liao), 羅 (see Luo), 劉 (see Liu).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Lewis family from?

What did your Lewis ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

Farmer

Colliery hewer

Builders labourer

Unpaid domestic duties

63%

Unpaid domestic

Housewife

Domestic duties

What Lewis family records will you find?

What is the average Lewis lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Lewis life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Lewis in 1940 was 46, and 73 in 2004.

Lewis Family History

Lewis Surname Meaning

17 million record(s) for Lewis

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Lewis family from?

What did your Lewis ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Lewis family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Lewis family history

What is the average Lewis lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Lewis family tree

Search for another surname

Lewis Surname Meaning

17 million record(s) for Lewis

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Lewis family from?

What did your Lewis ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Lewis family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Lewis family history

What is the average Lewis lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Lewis family tree

Search for another surname