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Origins of the Lewis surname

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What does the name Lewis mean?

Lewis is a relatively common name, most popular in Wales, where it is the sixth most prevalent in the country. The surname Lewis remains in wide usage across the Anglosphere (it is the 22nd most common in England, 24th in the United States, 61st in Canada and 129th in Scotland). Lewis is supposed to have a number of origins, but believed to be mostly patronymic. The origin in Wales is believed to stem from an anglicisation of the Welsh name Llewelyn, and in England as a patronymic stemming from the Norman and French names Louis, Lowis and Clovis. More rarely the name Lewis can be an adaptation of some Jewish surnames like Levi and Levy.

Alternative variations of the name Lewis

Lewis, Lewes, Lues, Lewiss, Lews

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Where do most Lewises live?

In 1921, most Lewises lived in South West.


Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

Interesting facts about Lewises

How common is your surname?

30th most common surname in the UK

We have 833,000 records for the Lewis surname. The oldest one dates back to 1538.

Who were Lewises most likely to marry?

Joneses

&

Williamses

Our Marriage record sets tell us which families married Lewises.

What are the most common Lewis first names?

  • John
  • William
  • Mary
  • Elizabeth

Our birth record sets tell us the names of Lewis family members

Common jobs for Lewises

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common Female occupations for Lewises in 1921
Dressmaker

4,374

Domestic Servant

2,211

General Servant Domestic

2,161

House Servant

1,971

Laundress

1,818

Common Male occupations for Lewises in 1921
Coal Miner

6,120

Farmer

4,320

Coal Miner Hewer

3,156

Agricultural Labourer

2,668

General Labourer

2,614

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Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

We found over 840,000 family trees with the Lewis surname

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