Show ContentsIvy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Ivy is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the baptismal name Ive. The surname Ivy referred to the son of Ive 1 which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Ivy family

The surname Ivy was first found in Oxfordshire where Geoffrey de Iuoi de Iuei was listed in the Pipe Rolls 1162-1163. 2 Another source confirms this entry, but notes that the same person had a pardon in Oxfordshire in 1156 and that he was also listed in the Pipe Rolls there in 1157. 3

Another source postulates that the name was a "descendant of Ivo (yew); one who came from St. Ives, the name of several places in England." 4

And another notes that "Ivey is a name that has been represented in Egloshayle, [Cornwall] in the forms of Ivy and Ivye, as far back as the reign of Henry VIII." 5

Early History of the Ivy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ivy research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1461, 1502, 1569, 1595, 1639, 1641, 1644, 1646, 1648, 1678, 1692, 1696, 1700, 1702, 1717 and 1745 are included under the topic Early Ivy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ivy Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Ivy include Ivey, Ivye, Ivie and others.

Early Notables of the Ivy family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Ivie, an English colonial administrator, the third agent of Madras from 1644 to 1648. He organized the first Hindu temple constructed in Madras since the English acquisition in 1646. Edward Ivie (1678-1745), was a Latin poet, born in 1678, was admitted a foundation...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ivy Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ivy Ranking

In the United States, the name Ivy is the 2,097th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 6


United States Ivy migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Ivy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Ivy, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 7
Ivy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Hardy Ivy (1779-1842), generally thought to be the first Europen to permanently settle in what would become Altanta, Georgia
  • John Ivy, who settled in New York in 1842
  • John Ivy, aged 33, who landed in New York, NY in 1842 7
  • Mr. Jonathan Ivy, (b. 1809), aged 33, Cornish farmer departing from Falmouth aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in the United States on 19 May 1842 8
  • Mr. J. Ivy, (b. 1832), aged 16, Cornish labourer departing from Penzance aboard the ship "Mountaineer" arriving in the United States on 29th May 1848 8
Ivy Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Annie Edith Ivy, aged 58, who immigrated to the United States from Southport, England, in 1907
  • E Eunice Ivy, aged 29, who settled in America from Ashton, England, in 1910
  • Frank. Ivy, aged 2, who landed in America from Ashton, England, in 1910
  • Lily Ivy, aged 3, who landed in America from Ashton, England, in 1910
  • Thomas P. Ivy, aged 56, who immigrated to the United States, in 1913
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Ivy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ivy Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • John D. Ivy, aged 57, who settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1910

Australia Ivy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ivy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Ivy, (b. 1806), aged 25, British convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for life for larceny, transported aboard the "Asia" on 29th September 1831, settling in New South Wales, Australia 9

New Zealand Ivy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Ivy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Emma Ivy, (b. 1854), aged 26, Cornish general servant departing on 25th February 1880 aboard the ship "Geraldine Paget" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 5th June 1880 10
  • Mr. Ernest E. Ivy, (b. 1878), aged 2, Cornish settler departing on 25th February 1880 aboard the ship "Geraldine Paget" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 5th June 1880 10
  • Mr. William Hy. Ivy, (b. 1877), aged 3, Cornish settler departing on 25th February 1880 aboard the ship "Geraldine Paget" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 5th June 1880 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Ivy (post 1700) +

  • Lamarse Howard "Cotton" Ivy (1930-2021), American author, educator, entertainer, and politician who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1985 to 1989
  • Mortty Ivy (b. 1986), American football linebacker
  • Frank "Pop" Ivy (1916-2003), American football player and coach
  • Corey Terrell Ivy (b. 1977), American football cornerback
  • Wetona Ivy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1972 11
  • Vernetta O. Ivy, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1924 11
  • Jesse C. Ivy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 12th District, 1908 11
  • Dan Ivy, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arkansas 3rd District, 1990, 1996 11
  • Archie Ivy, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 2000 11
  • William David Ivy (1942-1969), British Grand Prix motorcycle road racer

Arrow Air Flight 1285
  • Mr. Herbert Guy Ivy (1961-1985), American Corporal from Knoxville, Tennessee, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 12


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  4. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. 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)
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1831
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Wellington 1872-1880 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nz_wellington.pdf
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550


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