Show ContentsTrevenen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The proud Trevenen family originated in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Trevenen family originally lived in Cornwall, at the manor of Trevanion.

Early Origins of the Trevenen family

The surname Trevenen 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 Trevenen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trevenen 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 Trevenen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trevenen 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 Trevenen 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; and his son, John Trevanion (1613-1643), an English politician, Member of Parliament...
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Trevenen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Trevenen family

In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Trevenen were found: Thomas Trevannion settled in Virginia in 1645.


Contemporary Notables of the name Trevenen (post 1700) +

  • James Trevenen (1760-1790), British Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and captain in the Russian navy, third son of John Trevenen, curate of Camborne in Cornwall
  • Captain Trevenen Penrose Coode, British captain of the HMS Sutlej, the flagship of Rear Admiral Joseph Denman, eponym of the Coode Peninsula, British Columbia, Canada


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