Vaughant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The surname Vaughant is derived from the Welsh words fychan, vychan, and bychan, which all mean small or little. The name was sometimes used to distinguish the younger of two bearers of the same personal name; and in other instances, it may have been a nickname, applied ironically, to a tall person.

Early Origins of the Vaughant family

The surname Vaughant was first found in Shropshire, where they were descended from Tudor Trevor, the Earl of Hereford, and Lord of Maylors. His wife was descended from Howel Dda, King of South Wales, in 907. Descended was Gronwy, Earl of Hereford, through a series of Lords of Maylors and Oswestry. They descended to John Vaughan, son of Rhys Ap Llewellyn, of Plas Thomas in Shrewsbury.

Howel Vychan (Howel the Little) (d. 825) was a Welsh prince, said to have been son of Rhodri, a reputed descendant of Cunedda and king of Gwynedd or North Wales. 1

Later, Vychan (Vaughan the Little) (fl 1230-1240), was a Welsh statesman and warrior who seems to have been the most trusted counsellor of Llewelyn ab Iorwerth. "In 1231, he signed a truce between Henry III and Llewelyn. In legendary history Ednyved is very famous, and stories are told how he slew three English chiefs in a hard fight. He became the ancestor of many leading Welsh families, and among them of the house of Tudor. He is said to have married, first, Gwenllian, daughter of the Lord Rhys of South Wales, and, secondly, the daughter of Llywerch ab Bran. By each of these ladies he had numerous offspring." 1

Early History of the Vaughant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vaughant research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1447, 1522, 1587, 1592, 1600, 1603, 1613, 1620, 1621, 1626, 1629, 1639, 1640, 1644, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1666, 1667, 1672, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1678, 1679, 1681, 1683, 1686, 1695, 1713 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Vaughant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vaughant Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Vaughant have included Vaughan, Vaughn and others.

Early Notables of the Vaughant family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Sir Griffith Vaughan or Vychan (d. 1447), Welsh soldier, was son of Griffith ap Leuan; Edward Vaughan (d. 1522), Welsh Bishop of St. David's; Sir Henry Vaughan the elder (1587?-1659), a Welsh politician, Member of Parliament for Carmarthen (1621-1629), Member of Parliament for Carmarthenshire (1640-1644), High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire (1620); Robert Powell Vaughan (ca. 1592-1667), an eminent Welsh antiquary and collector of manuscripts; Thomas Vaughan (1621-1666), a Welsh philosopher, best remembered for his writings in the area of natural magic; Sir John Vaughan SL (1603-1674), of Trawsgoed, a Welsh justice from...
Another 133 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vaughant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Vaughant family to Ireland

Some of the Vaughant family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 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 Vaughant family

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Vaughant were found: George Vaughan settled in Maine in 1629; Patrick Vaughan settled in Virginia in 1635; Elizabeth Vaughan settled in Virginia in 1654; John Vaughan settled in Virginia in 1636.

The Vaughant Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non revertar inultus
Motto Translation: I will not return unrevenged.

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print