Landis
A surname most likely from the German word for “land,” often associated with Swiss and Pennsylvania German families.
The #1,912 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 16,400 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Landis is generally explained as a German surname built on land, meaning “land” or “country.” The form likely reflects a dialectal or diminutive development, and historical surname lists also connect it with German or Swiss German naming patterns. In this sense, the name probably began as a nickname, descriptive label, or habitational-style surname linked to a place or a person associated with rural land.
History
The name is well known in North America, especially among families of Pennsylvania German descent. 20th-century surname studies list Landis among familiar German-American names, and the spelling has remained stable in English-speaking countries. It is also found in Switzerland and other German-speaking areas, though the exact family lines may have separate origins.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In Pennsylvania German surname studies, Landis is grouped with other very familiar German-American names such as Hoover, Hershey, and Yerkes.
From the historical record
“wappinnis. This man that rescoursit the king wes callit Turnbull, and wes rewardit with riche landis be the king. Cp. the French Tournebauf [Fr. bceuf (Lat. bos, bovis), an ox, bull]. France has also Toumebulle —”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)