Laurence

Laurence
Recorded in an amazing range of spellings from the English Laurence and Laurens, to the French Lorent, Laurans, and Laurant, the Italian Lorens, Lorenz, Renzi, and even Nenzi, the Spanish Lorenzo and Lorente, the German Lenz and Frentz, the Polish Wawrzyniec, the Hungarian Lorincz, and many more including diminutives and patronymics, in every European country. The origination however is Roman, from the ancient period before Christianity. It derives from the male given name "Laurentius", which means 'the man from (the Italian city of) Laurentium", otherwise known as the 'city of laurels'. The laurel as a symbol of victory was probably the principal reason for the popularity of the name, although it is claimed that among Christians it became a favourite name through St. Laurence, the martyrd Archdeacon of Rome, in the mid 3rd Century. There is only one example of the name in the English Domesday Book of 1086, however, a century later and throughout Europe, the name became very popular, giving rise to the recognizable modern surnames of today. Early examples of the surname recording include: Magister Laurentius, given as being a cleric, in the episcopal records of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, in 1195, John Lorence of the county of Suffolk, England, in 1268, and Heinrich Lenz of Alzey, Germany, in 1341. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Laurence — ist eine der englischen Varianten des lateinischen Namens Laurentius und als solcher der Familienname folgender Personen: Ashley Laurence (* 1966), US amerikanische Schauspielerin Chris Laurence (* 1949), britischer Jazzbassist Frederick Andrew… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Laurence — is an English male given name and surname. A female given name with identical spelling exists in French.In all cases it is derived from the Roman given name, Laurentius, which can mean either from Laurentum or wreathed/crowned with laurel .Given… …   Wikipedia

  • LAURENCE (M.) — LAURENCE MARGARET (1926 1987) Née à Neepawa (Manitoba), Jean Margaret Wemyss fut orpheline de mère à quatre ans et de père à onze; elle commença à écrire au collège de Winnipeg dont elle sortit à vingt ans pour travailler comme reporter. En 1948… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Laurence — (Альтеа,Испания) Категория отеля: Адрес: Calle Xoringuer 9, 03590 Альтеа, Испания …   Каталог отелей

  • Laurence — m, f m 1 English: from a French form of Latin Laurentius ‘man from Laurentum’. Laurentum was a town in Latium, which may have got its name from Latin laurus laurel, or may alternatively be of pre Roman origin. The given name was popular in the… …   First names dictionary

  • Laurence —   [ lɔrənz], Margaret Jean, kanadische Schriftstellerin, * Neepawa (Provinz Manitoba) 18. 7. 1926, ✝ Lakefield (Provinz Ontario) 5. 1. 1987; lebte nach langen Aufenthalten in Afrika und Europa seit den 70er Jahren wieder in Kanada. Im Zentrum… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Laurence — Matronyme formé sur Laurent, surtout fréquent vers la Normandie (la région de France où les matronymes sont les plus nombreux) …   Noms de famille

  • Laurence — masc. proper name, from O.Fr. Lorenz (Fr. Laurent), from L. Laurentius, lit. of Laurentum, a maritime town in Latium, lit. town of bay trees, from laurus (see LAUREL (Cf. laurel)). The Italian form is Lorenzo. A popular given name in the Middle… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Laurence — [lôr′əns] n. [L Laurentius, prob. < Laurentum, town in Latium < ? laurus, laurel] a masculine name: dim. Larry; var. Lawrence; equiv. Fr. Laurent, Ger. Lorenz, It. & Sp. Lorenzo; fem. Laura …   English World dictionary

  • Laurence — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Sur les autres projets Wikimedia : « Laurence », sur le Wiktionnaire (dictionnaire universel) Laurence est un prénom féminin et masculin… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • laurence — /lawr euhns, lor /, n. Physics. a shimmering effect seen over a hot surface, such as a pavement or roadway, on a clear and calm day, caused by the irregular refraction of light. Cf. scintillation (def. 4). [1790 1800; of unexplained orig.] * * *… …   Universalium

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