Trevan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Cornwall in southwestern England provides the original birthplace of the surname Trevan. As populations grew, people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. This was due to the heavy political and cultural influence of the English upon the Cornish People at the time that surnames first came into use. Local surnames were derived from where a person lived, held land, or was born. While many Cornish surnames of this sort appear to be topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees, many are actually habitation surnames derived from lost or unrecorded place names. The name Trevan history began in Cornwall, at the manor of Trevanion.

Early Origins of the Trevan family

The surname Trevan was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat at Trevanion. While the first records of the surname were from this area, we must look into Wales to understand the meaning of the word "trevanion, " for it is there that the word translates to "the meeting of streams."

Early History of the Trevan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trevan research. Another 186 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1330, 1379, 1483, 1529, 1539, 1613, 1625, 1640, 1643, 1666, 1670, 1672 and 1703 are included under the topic Early Trevan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trevan Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Trevanion, Treavanion and others.

Early Notables of the Trevan family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Trevanion (c. 1483-1539), of Dartmouth, Devon, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Dartmouth in 1529
Charles Trevanion, an English politician, Member of Parliament for Cornwall in 1625

Trevan migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Trevan:

Trevan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Trevan, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 1
Nicholas Trevan, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 1

Trevan migration to Australia +

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

Trevan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Trevan, aged 40, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Rajah" 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Trevan (post 1700) +

J W Trevan, noted scientist who developed the median lethal dose in 1927

Citations +

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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJAH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Rajah.htm