Lomax
An old South Lancashire surname, probably from a now-lost place-name and long pronounced locally as Lomas.
The #3,627 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,540 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lomax is generally treated as a locational surname from a small place in the Bury area of Lancashire, now obscure or possibly no longer identifiable. Early spellings such as Lummas, Lumhalghe, and related forms suggest a local place-name that later hardened into Lomax. The exact meaning of the original place-name is uncertain, and older writers did not agree on a convincing explanation.
History
The name has long been associated with South Lancashire, especially the Bury district, and the common vernacular pronunciation has traditionally been Lomas. Early records in the 16th and 17th centuries show a range of spellings, including forms that predate the modern standard spelling. The surname later spread well beyond Lancashire, but its strongest historical root remains in that local area.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century source remarked that the family had “ramified itself in a wonderful manner,” reflecting how widely the surname spread from its Lancashire base.
From the historical record
“LOIMAS. See Loraax. LOMAX. This surname, and its verna- cular pronunciation Lomas, have long been associated with South Lancashire. The ancient orthography appears in a MS. Rent Roll of Sir John Pilkington of Burj', Knt., dated 13. Henry VI., as Del Lundialglics, Del Lumhalghe. To lum- ludglte, which appears to be…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom