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GENDER: Male

PRONUNCIATION: LAN-don

ETYMOLOGY: Old English origin meaning "Long Hill"

ORIGIN & HISTORY: First found as a family (surname)name in Cornwall, England, UK long before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. In the US, the records of 1775 show Thomas Landon as the first settler with that name in Maryland. It appears to be affiliated with Christianity.

POPULARITY: Considering in the US during 1930 - 1939 the name Landon was ranked: 906th and in 2006 it was ranked 49th, I would say it has had an increase in popularity big time. The biggest jump in rank per decade (not counting the 30s) was from 1970 - 1979 when it ranked: 629th to 1980-1989 when it was 355th . The popularity in 1999 (198th)and then again in 2003 (99th) was due in part to Nicholas Sparks book A Walk To Remember (1998) and its subsequent film release (2002) when Shane West essayed the role of the main character Landon Carter opposite actress Mandy Moore. As far as popularity in other countries ... Australia can't be too fond of the name as it ranked 564th in 2001. Canada at least ranked it 101st in 2004.

FACTS: Two interesting tidbits I found were the variation "Lando" in Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). The name does seem to be a popular name of young actors, musicians and sports players who were born in the 1970s and 80s (ex. Landon Lueck, Landon Pigg and Landon Donovan)

NAMESAKES: Places: Landon School - is an elite, private school for boys in grades 3-12. It is located in Bethesda, MD and was founded by Paul Landon Banfield.

Landon Place is located in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. There you will find many hotels, restaurants and shops to explore.

Not to forget is the Landon Mansion built in 1938 by Kansas Gov. Alfred Mossman Landon. In 1936 he lost the presidential election to Franklin D. Roosevelt by a landslide. It was the worst defeat in any American presidential election. When it happened, the story goes that Landon turned to his wife Theo and said, "By God, we'll build our own White House back in Topeka!" And that's just what they did.

Hosting an event in Gananoque, ON, try renting The Landon Bay Centre.

Need a weekend get-away? Visit Landon Hill - a bed and breakfast on Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains (Chestertown, NY, USA) and try out their outdoor Sundance hot tub.

Traveling through McKinney, Texas, don't pass up

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