Lewis (surname)

Lewis (surname)

Lewis is a surname in the English language. It has several independent origins.

One of origins of the surname, in England and Wales, is from the Norman personal name Lowis, Lodovicus. This name is composed of the Germanic elements hlod and wig, meaning "fame" and "war". The name developed into the Old French Clovis, Clouis, Louis; as well as into the German Ludwig. The name Lowis spread to England through the Normans. Lewis has since become confused with other unrelated names. One such name is Llywelyn in Welsh which has been Anglicised into Lewis, with among the earliest examples being the Lewis family of Glamorgan in the 1540s. Another is the Gaelic surname Mac Lughaidh, meaning "son of Lughaidh", which has also been Anglicised as Lewis. The surname Lewis is also an Americanization of several like-sounding Jewish surnames, such as "Levi."

Lewis is the 23rd-most common surname in the United Kingdom.