Yow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The name Yow is traditionally believed to be assigned to "children born on Christmas Day." 1 2 3 4 5

However, the noted author George Black is uncomfortable with this as he notes: " [it] does not satisfy me, but I am at present unable to offer a satisfactory interpretation in place of it. 'It is pretended that the Yuilles are descended of a son of Drumikills, born upon Yuilday. This pretension is adhered to by some of the name of Yuille, by others not.' " 1

Looking back further, we found that in Sethian Gnosticism, Youel or Yoel is an angel who is described as a male virgin who gives five revelations to protagonists Zostrianos and Allogenes during their visionary ascents to heaven.

Early Origins of the Yow family

The surname Yow was first found in on the Isle of Yell, in the Shetlands, but the name quickly scattered throughout due to its etymology. "Johannes Yhole was burgess of Haddington in 1374. Johannes Yhole was chaplain in Aberdeen in 1391, and Simon Youle executed a charter of sale in the same city in 1399. John Yhule one of the 'appretiatores camium' in Aberdeen in 1398 appears in 1400 and 1401 as bailie and burgess of the same city." 1

In northern England, the following passage appeared in the "curious old dictionary of Blount, called Glassographia: 'In Yorkshire and our other northern parts, they have an old custome after sermon or service on Christmas day; the people will, even in churches, cry Ule, Ule as a token of rejoicing, and the common sort run about the streets singing: 'Ule, Ule, Ule; Three puddings in a pule; Crack nuts and cry Ule.'" 4

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include an entry for Robertus Youle as holding lands there at that time. 2

Early History of the Yow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Yow research. Another 303 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1430, 1451, 1494, 1503, 1516, 1525, 1550, 1551, 1553, 1577, 1578, 1595, 1608, 1612, 1641, 1655, 1659, 1686, 1711, 1816, 1820 and 1889 are included under the topic Early Yow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yow Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Yell, Yul, Yuel, Yule, Youll, Yuile, Yuill, Yulle and others.

Early Notables of the Yow family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Henry Youll (fl. 1608), English musician who seems to have been a household musician in the family of one Edward Bacon, and teacher of his four sons, about the beginning of...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Yow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Yow Ranking

In the United States, the name Yow is the 11,423^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Yow migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Yow Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Yow, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 aboard the ship "Molley John Hodgeson" 7

Yow Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Walter Yow, aged 18, who immigrated to Ashebor, North Carolina, in 1918
Grace Yow, aged 25, who settled in Martin, Georgia, in 1924

Contemporary Notables of the name Yow (post 1700) +

Deborah A. Yow (b. 1951), American college sports administrator and former college basketball coach
Sandra Kay Yow (1942-2009), American basketball coach
David Yow (b. 1960), American musician
Jeme Tien Yow (1861-1919), distinguished Chinese railroad engineer
Jharal Yow (b. 1989), Australian professional rugby league footballer

The Yow 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: Numine et virtute
Motto Translation: By God's providence and by virtue.

Citations +

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)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)