Show ContentsEwans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Ewans surname is derived from the Gaelic personal name Eógann, which comes from the Latin name, Eugenius, which means well born. Ewans 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 Ewans family was established in Scotland, well before the Norman Conquest of England, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Ewans family

The surname Ewans was first found in Ulster where the name has been "in that province it has since the seventeenth century been especially associated with the counties of Donegal, Derry, Tyrone and Antrim. Many Ewing wills are recorded for the dioceses comprising these northern areas. The "census" of 1659-60 is one of the earliest Irish documents to include the name - in it Alexander Ewing appears as one of the leading inhabitants of Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. A few years later it appears frequently in the hearth money rolls for that county." 1

The name is Mac Eoghain in Irish Gaelic and may have a close relationship with the Scotland where "it is sometimes a synonym of the Scottish MacEwen. 1

Early History of the Ewans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ewans research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1164, 1650 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Ewans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ewans Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ewing, Ewin, Ewen, Ewans, Ewens and others.

Early Notables of the Ewans family

Another 28 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ewans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ewans family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Catherine Ewing (1826-1901) of Ireland, who was married in 1846 in Fredericton, New Brunswick; Alexander, Henry, James, John, Mathew, Thomas, William Ewing all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1865.



  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.


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