Govea History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Portugal
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Govea family

The surname Govea was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat on the territories and lands known as Govan. The first on record was Christian, widow of Simon Govan in 1293.

The name of this parish is generally supposed to have been derived from the two Saxon words god and win, 'good wine,' applied on account of the superior ale for which the place was celebrated, and which, after being kept for several years, approached in flavour to wine. Some, however, derive it from the Gaelic word gamham, pronounced gavan, and signifying 'a ditch,' used in reference to the river Clyde, which runs through the parish, and which, in ancient times, was a very narrow stream. 1

Early History of the Govea family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Govea research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1326, 1359, 1425, 1587, 1623, 1661, 1668 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Govea History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Govea Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Govan, Govane, Govean, Govans, MacGovan, MacGovans, Gowen and many more.

Early Notables of the Govea family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir John of Govan; and Captain William Govan (1623-1661), a Scottish officer who fought for the Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Govea Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Govea Ranking

In the United States, the name Govea is the 9,965^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Govea family to Ireland

Some of the Govea family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Govea migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Govea Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Cranuel Govea, aged 28, who immigrated to America, in 1903
Agustin Govea, aged 44, who settled in America from Olhas, in 1906
Agustin Govea, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States from Olhao, Portugal, in 1907
Carlos Govea, aged 31, who immigrated to the United States from Portugal, Olhas, in 1911
Maria A. de Freitas Govea, aged 41, who immigrated to the United States from Sac Pedro, Madeira, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Govea (post 1700) +

A. E. B. Govea, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Zanzibar, 1889 3
Juan José Govea Tenorio (b. 1991), Ecuadorian international footballer

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html