Poovay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Poovay is a name of Anglo-Saxon origin. It was a name given to a person with the characteristics of an owl. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal. In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demigods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk-tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans.

Early Origins of the Poovay family

The surname Poovay was first found in Gloucestershire where the name Povey is a provincialism for an owl. 1

Early History of the Poovay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Poovay research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1621, 1650, 1652, 1660, 1673, 1679, 1690, 1702, 1705, 1706 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Poovay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Poovay Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Poovay were recorded, including Povey, Povy and others.

Early Notables of the Poovay family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Povey (1613-1705) FRS, London merchant and politician, active in colonial affairs from the 1650s, he was a member from 1660 of Charles II's Council for Foreign Plantations. Charles Povey (c. 1652-1743), was an English miscellaneous writer...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Poovay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Poovay family to Ireland

Some of the Poovay family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Poovay family

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Poovay family emigrate to North America: Anne Povey and her husband who settled in Barbados in 1697; James, John and William Povey arrived in Philadelphia between 1174 and 1852.