Lundy
A surname most likely tied to a place-name, especially the island of Lundy off the coast of Devon.
The #2,439 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 20,791 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lundy is generally explained as a locational surname. One traditional source connects it with Lundy Island, and another notes a possible link with the French word for Monday, but the island explanation is the more natural fit for a British surname. Some 19th-century writers also suggested an Old Norse element related to a grove or wood, though that proposal is less certain and may reflect broader name-shaping rather than a single fixed origin.
History
The name appears in historical surname collections in both England and Ireland, and it is also found among Irish families recorded by the early 20th-century Gaelic surname scholar Matheson. In England, surnames from islands and coastal places are common, and Lundy fits that pattern well. The name has also been interpreted in several different ways by older etymologists, showing that its origin was not always agreed upon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Lundy Island has long been associated with seafaring history, which helps explain why its name could easily become a hereditary surname.
From the historical record
“in ancient times belonged to the family. LUNDY. 1. The island in the British Channel. 2. The Fr. Lundi, i.e. Monday. LUNGLEY. The same as Longley. See LoxG. De Lungeley. H.E. co. Suflblk. LUNHUNTER. One who hunts a Inn; but what species of game that may be battles my inquiry. See however Eng. Surn. i. 110, for some…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom