Leffek

This uncommon and intriguing name has two possible origins, each with its own distinctive derivation. Firstly, the name may be of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, and derived from the Old French "eveske", bishop, in modern French "eveque", with the eventual coalescence of the article "le". This would have been used as a nickname for someone thought to behave in a bishop-like manner, or for someone employed in a bishop's household. The first recording of the surname, below, is from this source, and one Henry Leveske is listed in the Huntingdonshire Pipe Rolls of 1200. The second possible origin of the surname is Anglo-Saxon, from the given name "Leofeca", a diminutive of "Leofa", Dear, Beloved; Hardekin filius (son of) Leueke is recorded in Norfolk in 1175, and Lefeke Daffe in Bedfordshire in 1279, the latter form being the Middle English development of "Leofeca". One Amicia Leueke is recorded in Suffolk in 1277. Examples from Church Registers include the marriages of Christopher Levick and Margerett Wells at Flixton by Bungay, Suffolk, on October 7th 1572, and of John Levick and Margreta Revill, on January 18th 1614, at St. Peter's, Sheffield, Yorkshire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Osbert le Eveske, which was dated 1189, in the "Monasticon Anglicanum", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.