Show ContentsMcAvinue History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the McAvinue family

The surname McAvinue was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow.

One of the earliest records of the family was Thomas Given, who witnessed a charter of "vnum rete super matricem aquam de Thei" by David de Haya to the monks of Cupre in 1214. 1

Early History of the McAvinue family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McAvinue research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1630 and 1655 are included under the topic Early McAvinue History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McAvinue Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Given, Givens, MacGiven, MacGivern and others.

Early Notables of the McAvinue family

More information is included under the topic Early McAvinue Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the McAvinue family to Ireland

Some of the McAvinue family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


New Zealand McAvinue 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:

McAvinue Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Patrick McAvinue, aged 22, a ploughman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British Queen" in 1883 2


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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