Recorded in many forms including Lonsdale, Longsdale, and the dialectals Lansdell, Lansdale, Logsdal, Logesdale, Logsdale, Logsdell, Logsdail and no doubt others, this is an English surname. It is locational and probably from either an area but now a "lost" medieval village in Cumbria called Longsdale, or possibly from the famous small town of Kirby Lonsdale, also in Cumbria. Certainly there is no such place recorded as Logesdale or Logsdail or any of the other spellings of the surname. This is not surprising as spelt in these forms, it has no apparent meaning. Some three thousand surnames of the British Isles are known to originate from now "lost" villages, and this may be one which should join the growing list. Locational surnames are usually "from" names. That is so say names given to people after they left their oroiginal homes to move somewhere else. In this case the earliest recording is probably that of Thomas de Londesdale in the poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, whilst others include John Lonsdale of Pendle in 1592. and in the city of London that of Margaret Logsdael at St James church, Dukes Place, Westminster, on June 3rd 1684.

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