Luttrell
An old Norman surname, probably from a French word for “otter.”
The #3,687 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,054 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is usually explained as Norman in origin and brought into England after the Conquest. Early writers thought it may come from a diminutive of Old French loutre, meaning “otter,” though some also connected it with French place-names such as Loudervielle or Latreille. Because the medieval evidence is mixed, the exact source is not certain, but the surname clearly has French roots.
History
The family appears in England soon after 1066 and is recorded in medieval landholding contexts by the reigns of Henry I and Stephen. It later became established in England, especially in the west and south, and is also found in Irish genealogical lists as an adopted or recorded surname. The name is best known today from figures such as the diarist Narcissus Luttrell.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Narcissus Luttrell, a 17th-century diarist and bibliophile, helped make the surname memorable to historians.
From the historical record
“Napper, Esq. LUTTRELL. A Norman family, who are found in England soon after the Conquest. In the reigns of Henry I. and Stephen, Sir John L. held in capite the manor of Hoton- Pagnel, co. York. The name is probably derived from a diminutive form of the French loiitre, an otter. LUTWIDGE. Ludovicus (Louis) has been…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom