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Gavin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Gavin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland
Wales

The Gavin surname is a Brythonic Celtic name that comes from the personal name Gawen. This name was popular due to the exploits traditionally attributed to Sir Gawaine, a nephew of King Arthur who was a native of the English/Welsh border area and was famed for his exploits as a Knight of the Round Table. Sir Gawaine was the hero of the battle with the giant Rhyence: 'That Gawain with his olde eurtesie.' Chaucer, The Squire's Tale. Independently, the surname Gavin is native to the Isle of Man, and as a Manx name, it is an occupational surname derived from Mac-an-Gabhain, which means the smith's son.

Early Origins of the Gavin family

The surname Gavin was first found in Wiltshire, where "the Gawens of Norrington, in the parish of Alvideston, continued in that place four hundred fifty and odd yeares. On the south downe of the farme of Broad Chalke is a little barrow called Gawen's Barrow, which must bee before ecclesiastical lawes were established." 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Goselena filius Gawyne in Cambridgeshire and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Peter Gowyn and Emma Gawyn. 2

Early History of the Gavin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gavin research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1612, 1642 and 1684 are included under the topic Early Gavin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gavin Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Gavin have included Gawen, Gaven, Gavin and others.

Early Notables of the Gavin family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Gawen (1612-1684), English Catholic writer, son of Thomas Gawen, a minister of Bristol, born at Marshfield, Gloucestershire, in 1612. After taking orders he travelled abroad...
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gavin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gavin Ranking

In the United States, the name Gavin is the 2,659^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Gavin migration to the United States +

Many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, searching for land, work, and freedom. Like the many other immigrants from the British Isles, they made a significant contribution to the development of Canada and the United States. The Welsh and their descendents added a rich cultural tradition to the newly developed towns, cities, and villages. An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Gavin:

Gavin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel Gavin who landed in Virginia in 1654
James Gavin, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 4

Gavin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Gavin, who landed in Virginia in 1713 4
Anthony Gavin, who landed in Virginia in 1735 4
John Gavin, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773
Thomas Gavin, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Gavin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James, John, Michael, Thomas Gavin, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1775 and 1850
Michael Gavin, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1851 4
William Gavin, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Joaquina Gavin, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1876 4
Patrick Gavin, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1880 4

Gavin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gavin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ann Gavin, aged 37 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Miss. Ann Gavin, aged 8 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Mr. Peter Gavin, aged 35 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but he died on board 5

Gavin migration to Australia +

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

Gavin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Gavin, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Philip Gavin, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
John Gavin, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Miss Maria Gavin, (b. 1805), aged 24, Irish servant who was convicted in Longfords, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 1 chlid 9
John Gavin, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Nicol" in 1840 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gavin 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:

Gavin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Gavin, (b. 1807), aged 40, Irish settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Mrs. Eliza Gavin Née Robinette, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Miss Mary Gavin, (b. 1838), aged 9, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Miss Elizabeth Gavin, (b. 1844), aged 3, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Miss Jane Gavin, (b. 1846), aged 1, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gavin (post 1700) +

John Gavin (1931-2018), born Juan Vincent Apablasa Jr., an American actor and diplomat, known for his roles in Imitation of Life (1959), Spartacus (1960), Psycho (1960), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981–1986)
Major General Herbert J. Gavin (1921-2009), American Commander of the Sacramento Air Logistics Center (1975), awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Blair Gavin (b. 1989), American soccer player
John Gavin (b. 1931), American actor, former United States Ambassador to Mexico
James Maurice Gavin (1907-1991), American general, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the British Distinguished Service Order
James W. Gavin Jr., American politician, U.S. Attorney for Delaware, 1977-81 12
James Maurice Gavin (1907-1990), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to France, 1961-62 12
James M. Gavin, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Buffalo, New York, 1952-53 12
Harold Gavin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1956 12
Frank E. Gavin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana 7th District, 1906 12
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gavin family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Bryan Buchanan Gavin, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 13

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 77)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM NICOL. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840WilliamNichol.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html