Lloyd
What is the origin of the last name Lloyd?
Meaning and origin
The last name Lloyd traces its origin to Wales, derived from the Welsh word "llwyd," meaning "grey" or "fair-haired." It was a descriptive surname given to individuals with light-colored hair.
The longer story
The last name Lloyd is of Welsh origin and is derived from the Welsh personal name Llwyd, meaning "gray" or "fair-haired". The name was originally a descriptive nickname for someone with gray or fair hair.
Variant spellings of the name include Lloyd, Lloydan, Loyd, Lloyde, and Lloid.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lloyd can be found in the 13th century, in the form of "Lodovicus filius Llouet", which translates to "Lloyd, son of Llouet".
Surname origins are rarely settled: one spelling can have several sources, and families often took a name for reasons nobody wrote down. Check it against the sources below before you rely on it.
#522
Lloyd was the 522nd most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 64,202 people, about 22 in every 100,000.
Who carries it
Surnames like Lloyd
Names it is linked with, then names with the same origin and a similar standing.
Check the sources
- Forebears: where Lloyd is found around the world
- The Internet Surname Database: a second opinion on the origin
- US Census Bureau: the 2010 surname figures used here
For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.