Show ContentsGawin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Many variations of the name Gawin have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Gaibhtheachain, which is derived from the word "gaibhtheach," which means "anxious." 1

Early Origins of the Gawin family

The surname Gawin was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. The Gavigan, Gavin, or Gavahan surname is derived from the Irish Chieftain Gabhadhan who was descended from King Colla da Crioch, one of the three Colla Kings who ruled Ireland and died about 360 A.D.

Interestingly, early Cornish records listed reference to some of the family in the parish of St. Hilary, Cornwall. "Prior to the days of Elizabeth, the barton of Treveneage belonged to an ancient family called Gaverigan, from whom it passed during that reign, with a co-heiress to the Godolphins." 2

Early History of the Gawin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gawin research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1679, 1689 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Gawin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gawin Spelling Variations

Many spelling variations of the surname Gawin can be found in the archives. One reason for these variations is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. The different spellings that were found include Gavigan, Gavin, Gavihan, Gavahan, Gavan, Gavagain, Gavagan, Gaven, Gavin, Gavighan and many more.

Early Notables of the Gawin family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gawin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Gawin migration to the United States +

A great mass of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century, seeking relief from various forms of social, religious, and economic discrimination. This Irish exodus was primarily to North America. If the migrants survived the long ocean journey, many unfortunately would find more discrimination in the colonies of British North America and the fledgling United States of America. These newly arrived Irish were, however, wanted as a cheap source of labor for the many large agricultural and industrial projects that were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the western world. Early immigration and passenger lists indicate many people bearing the Gawin name:

Gawin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Gawin, aged 24, who landed in New York in 1812 3
  • Silas Gawin, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Gawin (post 1700) +

  • A. M. Gawin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1912 4
  • William Gawin Herdman (1805-1882), English artist and author, born on 13 March 1805 at Liverpool, where his father was a corn merchant 5


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  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. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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