Lord
A surname that likely began as a nickname or status label for someone with lordly authority, manners, or appearance.
The #1,535 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,191 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Lord comes from Middle English lord, meaning a master or nobleman, ultimately from Old English hlāford, literally "loaf-ward" or household protector. As a surname, it was probably first applied as a nickname or title-like label for someone who acted as a lord, served one, or was associated with lordly status. Older writers also note a separate, rarer-looking association with Middle English lurdan, meaning a lazy or base fellow, but that is a different word and is best treated cautiously.
History
The name is well established in English records and is especially common in England. Because it comes from a high-status word, it may have been applied ironically as well as respectfully, much like other nickname surnames based on rank or character. In later centuries it became an ordinary hereditary surname and spread through Britain and the English-speaking world.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older English society, words like lord were sometimes used not only for nobles but also as sobriquets, so the surname could begin as a compliment, an ironic nickname, or a reference to a person’s role.
From the historical record
“and Gentle Men. LORD. LORDE. A title given to monks and persons of superior rank ; the equivalent of Dominus and Dan, which signify nothing more than master. In old times a sort of sobriquet, applied to the leaders of festivities, as Christmas Lords, Lords of Misrule, kc. Le Lord, is exceed- ingly common in H.R.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom