This curious surname, now chiefly recorded in the north western English county of Lancashire, is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is an interesting example of that sizeable group of early European surnames that were gradually created from the habitual use of nicknames. These nicknames were originally given with reference to a variety of personal characteristics, such as physical attributes or peculiarities, mental and moral characteristics, and to habits of dress and behaviour. The derivation, in this instance, is from the Middle English "lufe" (Olde English pre 7th Century "leof"), love, with "ladie", lady, denoting a philanderer, or a man particularly attentive to the desires of women. Other nicknames in this category include: Tiplady, initially recorded as "Tippelevedy" in the Yorkshire Subsidy Rolls of 1301, and Shakelady, noted as "Shakelauedy" in the 1332 Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire. The first element of these names derive respectively from "type(n)", to knock over, and "schak(k)en", to shake, toss, and all early recordings of Lovelady and both the above names are confined to the Yorkshire/Lancashire area. In 1314, one Adam Loveladi was noted in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, and in 1692, the marriage of Anne Lovelady to James Goore took place at Formby, Lancashire. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Adam Luvelavedy, which was dated 1297, in the "Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield", Yorkshire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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