Covin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Covin family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found 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 Covin family

The surname Covin 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 Covin family

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

Covin Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Covin include Covington, Colvaynston and others.

Early Notables of the Covin family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir John Covington

Covin Ranking

In the United States, the name Covin is the 16,212^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Covin family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Covin or a variant listed above: Thomas Covington and his wife Ann who received a land patent in Maryland in 1665; Arthur Covington, who came to Virginia in 1683; Peter Covington, an English convict who was sent to Maryland in 1725.

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/