Lothlorien

This is probably an Anglo-French surname. It seems to derive from the twin surnames of Loth, widely recorded in England since the medieval times, and L'orient, a surname which is normally recorded in France as Orient. We consider that this name is or was double barrelled at sometime in the past, although now is seemingly spelt as a single name. Taking the first element of Loth. This is recorded in several spellings including Loth, Lothe, Lothers and Louth. It probably originates from the ancient town of Louth in the county of Lincolnshire, which is itself named after the River Louth, that flows through the region. The first recording from this source is believed to be that of Richard de Louthe in the Subsidy Rolls of London, in the year 1319. There is a second possibilty that some nameholders derive from an ancient pre 7th century Olde English female name 'Lota', or the later French Amelot, a very early recording is that of Ailwine Loth of Kent in the year 1162. This is clearly not locational as at that date it would certainly have included the prepositions 'de' or 'atte', had it been so. As regards the French surname 'Orient', this is usually locational, and as such describes somebody who had undertaken a voyage to 'the Orient' . Thereafter he carried this sobriquet as a status name to show that he was a world traveller, and certainly so by the standards of the day. Again there is a second possible origin. There was a St Orient in the 6th century, and some followers may have adopted his name. Early church register recordings in France are poor by comparison with Britain. Most were destroyed in the Revolution of 1792. One example that has survived is that of Jean Louis Orient, a witness at St Pierre-les-Calais, in the Pas de Calais region, on March 8th 1787.