This unusual and intriguing name, found mainly in Northern England, is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and has a number of possible interpretations. Firstly, it may be a variant form, with "n" for "m", a common substitution, of the locational surname Leeming, which derives from either of the places so called, in West Yorkshire, near Keighley, and in North Yorkshire near Northallerton. Both of these places are named from an Olde English pre 7th Century river name, a derivative of "leoma", radiance, gleam, sparkle, in Middle English also a vocabulary word, "leeming", meaning "shining".
The second possible interpretation for the surname Leaning or Leening is derived from the Middle English given name "Lefman", from the Olde English "Leofman(n)", composed of the elements "leof", dear, beloved, with "mann", man. Finally, it may derive from the medieval nickname for a lover or sweetheart, from the Middle English "lem(m)an", originally a compound of the same elements as the given name above, but used of either sex. One Stephen Leming is listed in the Oxfordshire Hundred Rolls of 1273. Examples of the surname from Church Registers include: Lyenyng (1565, Lincolnshire); Lening (1596, ibid.); Leyninge (1611, London); and Leaninge (1631, Lincolnshire). Robert Leaning was christened at Willoughton, Lincolnshire, on April 8th 1665, and Anna Leaning married Edmund Clough in Gisburn, Yorkshire, on July 11th 1674. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Agnes Leynnynge, which was dated June 1st 1563, christened at Kirton in Holland, Lincolnshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, known as "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Discovering the historical roots of lyenyng is deeply interesting, as it takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who established this lineage. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname lyenyng is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation.
Although surnames have a specific origin at a certain time and region of the planet, many of them have spread far and wide across the world for various reasons, as is the case with the surname lyenyng. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname lyenyng provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
The historical chronicle of lyenyng is based on a striking series of events that were led by those who have carried this surname throughout history. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname lyenyng, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of lyenyng developed.
We suggest that if you want to learn more about the surname lyenyng, try to locate it through the bibliographic sources we suggest. We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about lyenyng and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
It's more than likely that there have been some distinguished lyenyngs throughout human history. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname lyenyng were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname lyenyng who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
Thanks to a significant bibliographic review, we have so far compiled information on the heraldry, history, and genealogy of lyenyng. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of lyenyng are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of lyenyng, and at the same time, of surnames in general.