The Lovejoy surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,351 people carried this name — #4,249 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 35,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 8,090 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Lovejoy surname

From Old English lufu (“love”) + Old French ioie (“joy”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lovejoy» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

77 families named Lovejoy, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 447 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 2 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New Hampshire 30
Massachusetts 16
Vermont 9
Maine 6
New York 5
Maryland 5
Pennsylvania 3
Connecticut 2
South Carolina 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 250 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Lovejoy in American newspapers,
1860–1914.

Newspaper page from The Day Book carrying the name Lovejoy
The Day Book 1914-09-09
Newspaper page from The Lancaster Ledger carrying the name Lovejoy
The Lancaster Ledger 1860-04-18
Newspaper page from Audubon County Journal carrying the name Lovejoy
Audubon County Journal 1908-06-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 90,851 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lovejoy in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

6,552 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lovejoy. The most, 1,434, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 3,550
New South Wales 2,091
Tasmania 372
Victoria 194
Western Australia 124
South Australia 98
ACT (Canberra) 31
Northern Territory 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lovejoy.

Who carried it

People named Lovejoy,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Elijah Parish Lovejoy
    Elijah Parish Lovejoy 1802–1837 · editor
  • Asa Lovejoy
    Asa Lovejoy 1808–1882 · politician
  • Owen Lovejoy
    Owen Lovejoy 1811–1864 · politician
  • Stephen Brown Lovejoy
    Stephen Brown Lovejoy 1850–1902 · politician
  • Esther Pohl Lovejoy
    Esther Pohl Lovejoy 1869–1967 · writer
  • Joseph Cammet Lovejoy 1805–1871

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Lovejoy,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States694 records

694 records of the Lovejoy name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 278
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 156
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 142
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 79
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 21
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 11
  • Sacramento County historic burials 4
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Loyd C. Lovejoy

    Born 1921 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Sill; machine shop worker from Tillman County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Frederick Memorial Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Lovejoy

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Enterprise from Liverpool, aged 12; farmer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Robert Douglas Lovejoy

    U.S. Army veteran. Born 1934, died 1990; buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, Washington.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 694 records for Lovejoy in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia111 records

111 records of the Lovejoy name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 40
  • Tasmanian Names Index 29
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 26
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 8
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • Canberra cemetery and marriage records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sarah Alice Lovejoy

    Arrived in Tasmania in 1853 aboard the Fortitude from London. Married 1872 in Deloraine, Tasmania, aged 22.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Josiah James Lovejoy

    Died 1902 in Deloraine, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1902.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Samuel John Lovejoy

    Married 1869 in Deloraine, Tasmania, aged 28. Died 1872 in Deloraine, Tasmania, aged 32.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 111 records for Lovejoy in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Lovejoy name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 3
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Cyril Leslie Lovejoy

    Died 1966, aged 67; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Frederick C. Lovejoy

    Died 1926 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Alfred Lovejoy

    Died in service in 1921.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Lovejoy in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Lovejoy name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith Annie Lovejoy

    Died 1989, aged 77; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Lovejoy name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. G. Lovejoy

    Royal Berkshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lovejoy.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lovejoy is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Lovejoy volume
Scroll to Top