Covington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Covington dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived at Covington in Huntingdon. The name was a habitational name having derived from the Old English "Cofingtun" which meant "Cofa's settlement." 1 Covington dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Covintune. 2

Early Origins of the Covington family

The surname Covington was first found in at Covington in Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire.) There is also a Scottish branch that had an earliest record of the 12th century.

In fact, Covington and Thankeston is a parish in Lanarkshire that has an interesting origin. "Of these ancient parishes, which were united about the beginning of the 18th century, the former derives its name, anciently Colbanstoun, from its proprietor Colban, in the 12th century; and the latter, from a Flemish settler named Tankard or Thankard, who obtained a grant of lands here during the reign of Malcolm IV. " 3

Another source claims that Covinton (Covington) was probably derived from the Latin for "Villa Colbani."

Spelling changes were frequent as seen by Thomas de Colbainestun who witnessed a charter by William the Lion in Dumfriesshire c. 1187 and Thomas de Colbaynstun who witnessed the resignation of lands of Ingilbristoun in 1204. 4

Early History of the Covington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Covington research. Another 123 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1204, 1296 and 1304 are included under the topic Early Covington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Covington Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Covington have been found, including Covington, Colvaynston and others.

Early Notables of the Covington family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir John Covington

Covington Ranking

In the United States, the name Covington is the 1,053^rd most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 5

Covington migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Covington, or a variant listed above:

Covington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Covington and his wife Ann who received a land patent in Maryland in 1665
Tho Covington, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 6
Thomas Covington, who landed in Maryland in 1665 6
Arthur Covington, who settled in Virginia in 1683

Covington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Covington, an English convict who was sent to Maryland in 1725
Richard Covington, who arrived in Virginia in 1768

Covington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

E. Covington, who arrived on a ship in San Francisco in 1852
Mr. Berrill Covington, aged 15, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
Miss Mary A. Covington, aged 21, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
William H Covington, who arrived in New York in 1864 6
Susan Covington, aged 13, who arrived in New York in 1864 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Covington (post 1700) +

Dennis Covington (1948-2024), American author
W. T. Covington, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1928 7
Wilbert Covington, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of River Rouge, Michigan, 1989 7
W. F. Covington Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Alabama, 1936 7
W. A. Covington, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Georgia State House of Representatives from Colquitt County, 1923-24; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1924 7
Leonard Covington (1768-1813), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Maryland at-large, 1805-07; Member of Maryland State Senate, 1807-09 7
Joseph M. Covington, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 27th District, 1875-77 7
James Harry Covington (1870-1942), American Democratic Party politician, Talbot County State's Attorney, 1903-09; U.S. Representative from Maryland 1st District, 1909-14 Justice of District of Columbia supreme court, 1914-18 7
Herbert Covington, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nevada, 1956 7
James Harry Covington (1836-1915), American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Easton, Maryland, 1886-90 7
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html