Pew History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The Welsh name Pew is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Hugh. The original Welsh form of this forename was Huw, but the English form of the name was adopted by the upper-class Welsh during the 17th century. The surname Pew was originally ap-Hugh: the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ap," means "son of," but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time.

Early Origins of the Pew family

The surname Pew was first found in Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn), located in mid-Eastern Wales, one of thirteen historic counties, and anciently the medieval kingdom of Powys Wenwynwyn, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Pew family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pew research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1609, 1610, 1656, 1678, 1679, 1686, 1709, 1718, 1721, 1758, 1760, 1765, 1766 and 1788 are included under the topic Early Pew History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pew Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Pew have included Pugh, Pew and others.

Early Notables of the Pew family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Robert Pugh (1610-1679), a Welsh Jesuit priest and controversialist. Ellis Pugh (1656-1718) was a Welsh Quaker, born in the parish of Dolgelly in June 1656. In 1686 he and his family sailed for the Quaker settlement in Pennsylvania. They had a stormy passage, and were detained for six months at Barbados. In 1721 there was published at Philadelphia a tract by him entitled "Annerch i'r Cymry" ("Address to the Welsh People"), which was probably the first Welsh book printed...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Pew Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pew Ranking

In the United States, the name Pew is the 13,189^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Pew family to Ireland

Some of the Pew family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pew migration to the United States +

During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Pew:

Pew Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Pew, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Speedwell" 2
Richard Pew, aged 23, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas & John" 2
Mr. Jo Pew, aged 16, who arrived in Virginia aboard the ship "Primrose" in 1635 3
George Pew, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 2
John Pew, who landed in Virginia in 1658 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pew migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pew Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Samuel Pew U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Pew (post 1700) +

James A. Pew, American geophysicist at McMurdo Station, 1966-1967, eponym of Mount Pew, Antarctica
Robert Pew (1923-2012), American businessman and chairman of Steelcase
Richard Pew (b. 1933), American engineering psychologist and former Olympic fencer who competed in the individual and team épée events at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Joseph Newton Pew Jr. (1886-1963), American industrialist, son of Joseph Pew
Joseph "Newton" Pew (1848-1912), American founder of Sun Oil Company (now Sunoco) and prominent philanthropist, father of John Howard Pew and Joseph N. Pew, Jr
Arthur "Artie" Pew Jr. (1898-1959), American college football and basketball player
John Howard Pew (1882-1971), American philanthropist, President of Sunoco (Sun Oil Company)
John Pew (b. 1956), American racing driver who won the 2005 Star Mazda Masters Championship, awarded the GRAND-AM Trueman Award (2010-2011)
Lindsey De Pew, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Arizona, 2012 5
Tracy Franklin Pew (1957-1986), Australian musician, bass guitarist for The Birthday Party (1975-1983)

The Pew Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Sic itur ad astra
Motto Translation: Such is the way to immortality.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html