Contents [hide]

Edwin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Edwin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Edwin or Eadwine, Lat. Æduines (585?-633), king of Northumbria, son of Ælla, king of Deira, was three years old when, after his father's death in 588, he was forced to flee from Deira by the Bernician king, Æthelric, who conquered the country and ruled over both the Northumbrian kingdoms. 1

Early Origins of the Edwin family

The surname Edwin was first found in Huntingdonshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held estates in that shire.

Early History of the Edwin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Edwin research. Another 133 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1455, 1487, 1642, 1687, 1698 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Edwin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Edwin Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Edwin include Edwin, Edwyn, Edwine, Edwyne, Edwing and others.

Early Notables of the Edwin family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir Humphrey Edwin (1642-1707), Lord Mayor of London, descended from the ancient family of Edwin of Herefordshire, was born at Hereford in 16421...

Edwin Ranking

In the United States, the name Edwin is the 16,556^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Edwin migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Edwin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. William Edwin, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 3
James Edwin, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 3
Thomas Edwin, who landed in Virginia in 1642 3
William Edwin, who landed in Maryland in 1648 3
Margaret Edwin, who arrived in Maryland in 1656 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Edwin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Edwin, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1768 3

Edwin migration to Australia +

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

Edwin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Edwin (b. 1790), aged 39, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 17th August 1829, sentenced for 14 years for stealing linen, transported aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" on 1st April 1830 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 4
Mr. John Edwin, British convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5

Edwin 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:

Edwin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Edwin, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Nevada" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th June 1871 6
Enoch Edwin, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1873
William Edwin, aged 19, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1873

Contemporary Notables of the name Edwin (post 1700) +

Walter Edwin (b. 1868), English-born, American director and actor from Hertfordshire, England, known for Gloria's Romance (1916), The Green Cloak (1915) and The Woman Next Door (1915)
John Edwin the Younger (1768-1805), English actor, son of John Edwin who is first heard of in 1777, when his father, applying to George Colman for an advance of salary, offers to throw in Mrs. Edwin and Jack 7
John Edwin the Elder (1749-1790), English comedian, born 10 Aug. 1749 in Clare Street, St. Clement Danes, the only son of John Edwin, a watchmaker
Elizabeth Rebecca Edwin (1771-1854), Irish actress, the daughter of an actor named Richards, who, with his wife, was engaged at the Crow Street Theatre, Dublin 7
John Edwin Haire (1908-1966), Baron Haire of Whiteabbey, a British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament for Wycombe (1945-1951)
James Edwin Webb (1906-1992), American second administrator of NASA and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, namesake of the James Webb Space Telescope
Joseph Edwin Johnson (1933-2023), American academic
Peter Edwin Caines FRSC, British control theorist and James McGill Professor and Macdonald Chair in Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Denzel Edwin Crum (1937-2023), American men's college basketball coach at the University of Louisville from 1971 to 2001, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994
Larry Edwin LeGrande Sr. (1939-2023), American Negro American League professional baseball catcher and outfielder from Roanoke, Virginia

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020