Show ContentsGove History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Gove Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Early Origins of the Gove family

The surname Gove 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 Gove family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gove 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 Gove History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gove Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Gove family

  • Richard Gove (1587-1668), was a Puritan divine, son of a Devonshire gentleman, born at Tavistock in 1587. 2

Gove Ranking

the United States, the name Gove is the 7,835th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Gove family to Ireland

Some of the Gove 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.

Gove migration to the United States +



Gove Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Stephen Gove, who arrived in Maryland in 1634 4
  • Henry Gove, who arrived in Maryland in 1654 4
  • John Gove, who landed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1657 4
  • Robert Gove, who landed in Maryland in 1675 4
Gove Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • W Gove, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Gove migration to Canada +

Gove Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jonathan Gove U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 5
Gove Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Nathaniel Gove, who arrived in Canada in 1834

Gove migration to Australia +

Gove Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Henry Gove, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Posthumous" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Gove (post 1700) +

  • David T. Gove (1978-2017), American ice hockey player and head coach of the Wheeling Nailers
  • Philip Babcock Gove (1902-1972), American lexicographer, editor-in-chief of Webster's Third New International Dictionary (1961)
  • Colonel Jesse Augustus Gove (1824-1862), American lawyer and soldier in the American Civil War
  • DiAnne C. Gove (b. 1951), American Republican Party politician in the New Jersey General Assembly
  • David Gove (b. 1978), retired American AHL ice hockey player
  • Jeff Gove (b. 1971), American professional PGA golfer
  • George P. Gove, American politician, Mayor of Bend, Oregon, 1929-31 7
  • George J. Gove, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Montgomery County, 1892 8
  • George C. Gove, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Raymond, 1956 8
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Rupert Clair Gove, American Seaman First Class from California, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 8
  • Carroll Lansing Gove, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 9
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. 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
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The POSTHUMOUS 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Posthumous.htm
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html
  9. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew

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