Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Lusty
Category: 2 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is well under way, but currently in some countries only.
Contact: Mrs Susan Wynne
A descriptive or nickname which means, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, healthy or strong. The current, fashionable meaning of lustful was not used in the past. It is noticeable that the name Lusty has been spelled in the same way since at least the early 16th century, and yet is not in any surname dictionary.
www.surnamedb.com lists Lusty as being of German or Central / Eastern European Jewish descent and a variation of Lustig. Also that an Irish family called O'Coiste moved to Gloucestershire in the 16th century and the name is a variant of that. There is no evidence for either of these theories. There is a mention, however, in a Subsidy Roll of 1327 (Glos Archives) of a Lusty or Lasty in Stonehouse, Glos, which thwarts these theories.
There are several Lustys who have achieved success:
Data from www.findmypast.com shows the number of Lustys in the UK census returns as follows:
1841: 321 1851: 355 1861: 372 1871: 444 1881: 574 1891: 576 1901: 570 1911: 703
The actual numbers are not great, but the rise from 372 to 574 people between the 1861 and 1881 censuses is an increase of nearly 55%. The rise increase from 570 people in 1901 to 703 in 1911 is an increase of nearly 23% in only ten years.
www.britishsurnames.co.uk gives the number of Lustys in July 2011 as 577. This gives a frequency of 13 people per 1 million or 0.001% of the population. Another line of current research is whether the Lustys are, gradually, dying out!
Lusty is the 8033rd most common surname in England and Wales.
(All data from www.findmypast.com)
Although the numbers of Lustys within the population of England and Wales rose during the nineteenth century, the numbers living in Gloucestershire as a whole and the Stroud area in particular stayed remarkable level. The Lusty population of London and Middlesex increased from 13 in 1841 to 105 in 1911. Other counties with higher populations of Lustys are those near Gloucestershire or easy to travel to by train eg Somerset, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire.
In Gloucestershire the number of Lustys in the 1841 census was 262. This dipped to 203 in 1861, rose to 315 in 1881, but was only 300 in 1911.
In the Stroud area 186 people named Lusty were recorded in 1841 but only 105 in 1861. The numbers jumped to 176 in 1881 but remain constant in censuses of 1891, 1901 and 1911 at 160, 164 and 162 respectively.
Lustys are recorded in other parts of the country in very small numbers. Many show their birthplace to be Gloucestershire or even give Kings Stanley.
Data so far gathered is available on websites given above and from Parish Registers on microfiche at Gloucester Archives, Alvin Street, Gloucester. Gloucestershire Family History Society centre, also at Alvin Street, has a wealth of resources and publications, and a website at www.gfhs.org.uk
Sir Robert Frith Lusty wrote a book 'Bound to be Read' which deals mainly with his life as a publisher (at Hutchinsons and Michael Joseph). He gives very little information about his family or early life.
Using BMD records, census returns and other data I am attempting to construct family trees. I am amassing Parish Records data from before 1837 - as far back as I can read the writing. The seventeenth century is going well. Earlier is quite challenging!
Please feel free to contact me for any information. I will be happy to share. If you can add to the GOONs Lusty Archive, or have a comment on the information placed there, please let me know. Even the smallest details are welcome.
Thank you in advance for your interest.
Gloucestershire Family History Society at www.gfhs.org.uk
Gloucestershire Archives at www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives
https://one-name.org/global-marriages-search-results/?surname=Lusty