Show ContentsEwen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The root of the ancient Dalriadan-Scottish name Ewen is the Gaelic personal name Eógann, which comes from the Latin name, Eugenius, which means well born. Ewen is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, while others came from the personal names of famous religious and secular figures. The Ewen family was established in Scotland, well before the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066.

Euing appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 and may have been derived from Eawa's son. A Eawa was brother of Penda, king of Mercia. [1] However, another source claims the name was a "descendant of Ewen (warrior)." [2]

And yet another source claims the name "goes back to the Greek eugenes (wellborn.)" [3]

Early Origins of the Ewen family

The surname Ewen was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, 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. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Dovenaldus Ewain, documented in 1164.

Early History of the Ewen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ewen research. Another 136 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1164, 1178, 1546, 1555, 1598, 1611, 1621, 1633, 1636, 1664, 1678, 1681, 1687, 1717 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ewen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ewen Spelling Variations

The translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Ewen has appeared as Ewing, Ewin, Ewen, Ewans, Ewens, Eugene, Ewan and many more.

Early Notables of the Ewen family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Maurice Ewens (1611-1687), also known as Newport, a Jesuit priest

Ewen Ranking

In the United States, the name Ewen is the 17,780th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [4]

Ireland Migration of the Ewen family to Ireland

Some of the Ewen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Ewen migration to the United States +

Many settled along the east coast of what would become the United States and Canada. As the American War of Independence broke out, those who remained loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these hardy Dalriadan-Scottish settlers began to recover their collective history in the 20th century with the advent of the vibrant culture fostered by highland games and Clan societies in North America. Highland games, clan societies, and other organizations generated much renewed interest in Scottish heritage in the 20th century. The Ewen were among the earliest of the Scottish settlers as immigration passenger lists have shown:

Ewen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Nicholas Ewen, who landed in Virginia in 1638 [5]
  • Jane Ewen, who arrived in Virginia in 1648 [5]
  • John Ewen, who landed in Maryland in 1649 [5]
  • Ann Ewen, who landed in Maryland in 1649 [5]
  • Richard Ewen, who landed in Maryland in 1649 [5]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Ewen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • James Ewen, who landed in America in 1782 [5]
Ewen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert N Ewen, who landed in Iowa in 1882 [5]

Canada Ewen migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ewen Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Matty Ewen, aged 18, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834

Australia Ewen migration to Australia +

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

Ewen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Robert Ewen, a shoemaker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • James Ewen, a cabinet-maker, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Thomas Ewen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Poictiers" in 1848 [6]
  • Edward Ewen, aged 30, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Lismoyne"

New Zealand Ewen 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:

Ewen Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Ewen, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 [7]
  • Mrs. Ewen, British settler travelling from London with 3 children aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 [7]
  • Mrs. Ewen, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 [8]
  • Mr. Chapman Ewen, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 [8]
  • Mr. Alexander Ewen, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Kingston" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th December 1858 [8]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Ewen (post 1700) +

  • William Ewen (1720-1776), American first president of the Council of Safety of Georgia during the American Revolution
  • Walter Ewen, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Derby, 1946 [9]
  • R. A. Ewen, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1908 [9]
  • Charles Ewen, American politician, Member of Missouri State Senate 15th District, 1937-40 [9]
  • Bill Ewen, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1936 [9]
  • John Ewen (1741-1821), Scottish lyricist credited with writing well-known Scottish song, "0 weel may the boatie row" [10]
  • Dickie Ewen (b. 1939), Scottish former professional football outside right
  • Todd Gordon Ewen (1966-2015), Canadian professional NHL ice hockey player who played from 1986 to 1977 principally as an enforcer
  • Mortimer Ewen (1816-1887), English cricketer from Lodsworth, Sussex, active 1826-1834
  • Frederic Ewen (1899-1988), Austrian-born, American English professor who was forced to resign his teaching position after refusing to cooperate with a Senate Internal Security Committee during the McCarthy era
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. William Ewen, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking [11]


The Ewen 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: Audaciter
Motto Translation: Boldly


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) POICTIERS 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Poictiers.htm
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  11. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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