Alvin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Today's generation of the Alvin family bears a name that was brought to England by the wave of emigration that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from the Old English personal names Alfwin, and Elwin, as well a collection of other names containing the elements oelf, which means elf, and wine, which means friend.

Etherlwine, Aethelwine or Ailwin (died 922), was a Saxon ealdorman (royal official) of East Anglia, fourth and youngest son of the ealdorman Aethelstan, called the Half-king. 1

Early Origins of the Alvin family

The surname Alvin was first found in Devon where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Alwinetone, later called Alwington. In the Domesday Book Survey of 1086 A.D. this village containing 120 sheep and houses was held by Hamelin from the Count of Mortain, from which the Alwins are conjecturally descended.

One of the first records of the family was Henry Fitz Ailwyn, Lord Mayor of London (1189-1211.)

Early History of the Alvin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alvin research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1175, 1499 and 1564 are included under the topic Early Alvin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alvin Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Alwin, Alwyn, Elwyn, Elwyn, Elvin, Elvins, Elvyn, Alvin, Allwin, Allwyn, Ellwyn, Ellwin and many more.

Early Notables of the Alvin family

More information is included under the topic Early Alvin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alvin migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Alvin or a variant listed above:

Alvin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Alvin who landed in America in 1698

Alvin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Alvin, who landed in Boston, Maas in 1712 2
Harawell Alvin, who landed in Virginia in 1719 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Alvin (post 1700) +

James Alvin, American professional baseball pitcher
Madame Juliette Alvin F.G.S.M.T., American violoncellist and music therapist
William Alvin Whitworth (1937-2024), American journalist and editor
Elton Alvin Veals (1961-2023), American football player who played running back for one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1984
Roy Alvin Harrisville II (1922-2023), American Lutheran theologian who wrote extensively on the interpretation of the New Testament
Mace Alvin Neufeld (1928-2022), American Primetime Emmy nominated film and television producer, known for Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), No Way Out (1987) and The Sum of All Fears (2002).
William Alvin Moncrief Jr. (1920-2021), American businessman in the oil and gas sector, President of Moncrief Oil, and was a billionaire member of the 2006 Forbes 400, with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion
Roger Alvin LeClerc (1936-2021), American professional football player in the National Football League who played from 1960 to 1967
Guy Alvin Leader, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 28th District, 1943-50; Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1956 3
Lynn Alvin Mickelsen (b. 1935), American general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1990-)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html