*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Lance

The surname is derived from a medieval given name Lanzo, short form of names beginning with the Germanic element *land; see land. Doublet of Lanzo.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname originating as a patronymic. · A diminutive of the male given name Lancelot. · A male given name transferred from the surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

The surname is derived from a medieval given name Lanzo, short form of names beginning with the Germanic element *land; see land. Doublet of Lanzo.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "dbt",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Lanzo"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of Lanzo"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lanzo",
      "Lanzo#English"
    ],
    [
      "*land",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/land"
    ],
    [
      "land",
      "land#English"
    ],
    [
      "Lanzo",
      "Lanzo#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname originating as a patronymic.",
        "A diminutive of the male given name Lancelot.",
        "A male given name transferred from the surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "c46adbe7f028e41346dd247f89ace57fe51e9cf4e0515c4d8ff02cd0a1033ec4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6093d2e6c71e207b165cd9e4e72b6db43eed759ab59193456d9ffd8aad684c0e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 328489
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Lance →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-TGFuY2U