Show ContentsEwing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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

Early Origins of the Ewing family

The surname Ewing 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 Ewing family

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

Ewing Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Ewing family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Captain Finley Ewing (b. circa 1650) who was recognized for his bravery at the Battle of Boyne by King William III

Ewing Ranking

In the United States, the name Ewing is the 852nd most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 2


United States Ewing migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ewing Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Ewing, who arrived in Long Island in 1718 3
  • Alex Ewing, who arrived in Bermuda in 1787 3
Ewing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Ewing, who landed in America in 1803 3
  • William Ewing, who arrived in America in 1809 3
  • William Ewing, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1812 3
  • Alexander D Ewing, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 3
  • Christiana Ewing, aged 24, who arrived in New York, NY in 1822 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Ewing migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ewing Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James, Ewing Sr., who landed in Canada in 1828
  • Samuel Ewing, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "William" in 1834
  • Peter Ewing, who landed in Montreal in 1840

Australia Ewing migration to Australia +

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

Ewing Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Walter Ewing, (b. 1798), aged 28, Scottish clerk who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life for forgery, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • William Ewing, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Navarino" in 1837 5
  • Miss Rachael Ewing, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Samuel Ewing, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cromwell" in 1849 7
  • Andrew Ewing, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on April 16, 1855, settling in Western Australia 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Ewing 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:

Ewing Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Ewing, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Sevilla" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1859 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Ewing (post 1700) +

  • Maria Louise Ewing (1950-2022), American opera singer who sang both soprano and mezzo-soprano roles, born in Detroit, Michigan
  • Russ Ewing (1923-2019), American broadcast journalist in Chicago from 1967 to the late 1990s
  • William Buckingham "Buck" Ewing (1859-1906), American Hall of Fame baseball player and manager
  • Maurice Ewing (1906-1974), American geophysicist, who taught at Columbia University (1944-74)
  • Thomas Ewing (1789-1871), American statesman who represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate (1831-37)
  • William Maurice Ewing (b. 1906), American marine geologist
  • Sir Alexander Ewing (1892-1980), Professor of Audiology and Education of the Deaf at University of Manchester
  • Winifred Margaret "Winnie" Ewing FRSA (1929-2023), née Woodburn, a Scottish politician, lawyer and figure within the independence movement who served as President of the Scottish National Party from 1987 to 2005
  • Mrs. Alison Ewing B.E.M., British Office Manager for Galleywall Primary City of London Academy was appointed the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to the community in Bermondsey, London 10
  • Walter Ewing (b. 1878), Canadian winner of a gold and silver Olympic medals for shooting at 1908 games
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hillcrest Coal Mine
  • Mr. James Ewing (1890-1914), American Company Man from Chicago, Illinois, United States who worked in the Hillcrest Coal Mine, Alberta, Canada and died in the mine collapse 11
St. Francis Dam
  • Mrs. Appia Jane Ewing, (nee Utterback), American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928


Suggested Readings for the name Ewing +

  • Edley Ewing, the Texas Pioneer and His Descendants by Milam Myrl Ewing.
  • From Whence We Came: Ancestors and Descendants of Gustavas H. Ewing, With Kindred Branches of the Ewing Families by Vernon T. Ewing.

  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) NAVARINO 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Navarino.htm
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CROMWELL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cromwell.htm
  8. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Western Australia, Australia in 1855 with 261 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1855
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1
  11. List Of Miners - Hillcrest Mine Disaster Data. (Retrieved 2014, June 24) . Retrieved from http://www.hillcrestminedisaster.com/data/index.php?title=List_Of_Miners


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