Cow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Cow surname comes from the Middle English word "cuffe," which meant "glove." It is thought that the name was originally an occupational name for a maker or seller of gloves. Although most instances of the name in Ireland were through migration from England, there were native Irish bearers of Cow from the Gaelic form of Ó Duirnin. Although this name is usually Anglicized as Durnin, it had occasionally become "Cuffe" through mistranslation, since the Gaelic word "dorn" refers to "a fist." 1
Early Origins of the Cow family
The surname Cow was first found in Kilkenny (Irish: Cill Chainnigh), the former Kingdom of Osraige (Ossory), located in Southeastern Ireland in the province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
Early History of the Cow family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cow research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1563, 1598, 1601, 1641, 1670, 1678, 1694, 1733, 1737, 1744, 1781, 1793, 1797, 1804, 1821 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Cow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cow Spelling Variations
Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Cow were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Cuff, Cuffe, Couffe, Couff, Cuffy, Cuffey, Cuffie and others.
Early Notables of the Cow family
Notable amongst the family up to this time was Sir James Cuffe (died 1678) was an Irish politician, son of Thomas Cuffe of Somerset, he moved to Ireland with his father and brother in 1641; Michael Cuffe (1694-1744), an Irish Member of Parliament; Agmondesham Cuffe, who lived in Castle Inch, County Kilkenny, father of Otway Cuffe, 1st Earl of Desart (1737-1804); and James Cuff M.P., the 1st and last Lord Tyrawley (d. 1821), he held the estate containing Deel Castle, a 16th Century Tower House, in County Mayo.
Henry Cuff or Cuffe (1563-1601), was an English "author and politician, born in 1563...
Another 177 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cow migration to the United States +
A massive amount of Ireland's native population left the island in the 19th century for North America and Australia in hopes of finding more opportunities and an escape from discrimination and oppression. A great portion of these migrants arrived on the eastern shores of the North American continent. Although they were generally poor and destitute, and, therefore, again discriminated against, these Irish people were heartily welcomed for the hard labor involved in the construction of railroads, canals, roadways, and buildings. Many others were put to work in the newly established factories or agricultural projects that were so essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest nations in the world. The Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s initiated the largest wave of Iris immigration. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Cow or a variant listed above:
Cow Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Cow, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 2
Cow Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Peter Cow, who landed in New England in 1735 2
Cow migration to New Zealand +
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:
Cow Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Miss Cow, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1863 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Cow (post 1700) +
- Isaac De Cow, American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives 9th District, 1857-58 4
The Cow 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: Animus tamen idem
Motto Translation: Yet our mind is unchanged.
Citations +
- MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
- 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)
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html