Trevor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Trevor family name comes from the name of either of the Welsh settlements called Trevor in Denbigh and Anglesey. As such, the surname Trevor belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
Early Origins of the Trevor family
The surname Trevor was first found in Herefordshire, where Tudor Trevor was Lord of Hereford, Wittington, and both Maelors, founder of the Tribe of the Marches. He was son of Ynyr Ap Cadforch, Lord of both Maelors in Powys, a Baron of Powys.
Trevor Hall is a large grade mansion standing in 85 acres (35 hectares) of parkland at Trevor, near Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales. The estate has been in the family since medieval times and was at one time the home of Bishop John Trevor (died 1357.)
There was always a close relationship with people of Wales and Cornwall; so it is not surprising to find an early reference to the family there. "The manor of Trevear [in the parish of Gorran] was formerly the property, and the mansion the residence of a family of this name. Tonkin says, that the mansion of Sir Henry Trevear was standing so late as the year 1736. From this family it passed to the Scawens, and it is now the property of Thomas Graham, Esq." 1
Early History of the Trevor family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trevor research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1346, 1357, 1410, 1563, 1596, 1618, 1620, 1626, 1630, 1637, 1641, 1642, 1644, 1658, 1669, 1670, 1672, 1673, 1693, 1695, 1706, 1717, 1730 and 1851 are included under the topic Early Trevor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Trevor Spelling Variations
Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. 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 were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Trevor have included Trevor, Trefor and others.
Early Notables of the Trevor family
Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was
- John Trevor (died 1357), Bishop of St Asaph in North Wales, (1346 to 1357)
- John Trevor (died 1410), or John Trevaur, Bishop of St. Asaph in Wales and later became nominal Bishop of St Andrews in Scotland
- Sir John Trevor (1563-1630), MP and Surveyor of the Queen's Ships
- Sir John Trevor (1596-1673), his son, MP from 1620, member of the Council of State during the Protectorate
- Sir John Trevor (1626-1672), his son, Secretary of State for the Northern Department during the 17th century
- Sir John Trevor (1637-1717), Speaker of the House of Commons and Master of the Rolls in the late 17th and 18th centuries
- Thomas Trevor, 1st Baron Trevor PC (1658-1730), Solicitor General of Britian, and in 1695 became Attorney-General
- Marcus Trevor, 1st Viscount Dungannon (1618-1670)
- Lewis Trevor, 2nd Viscount Dungannon (d. 1693)
Migration of the Trevor family to Ireland
Some of the Trevor family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Trevor migration to the United States +
Many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, searching for land, work, and freedom. Like the many other immigrants from the British Isles, they made a significant contribution to the development of Canada and the United States. The Welsh and their descendents added a rich cultural tradition to the newly developed towns, cities, and villages. An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Trevor:
Trevor Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- William Trevor, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 2
- John Trevor, who landed in Virginia in 1651 2
- Thomas Trevor, who landed in Virginia in 1664 2
- Morris Trevor, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 2
Trevor Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Samuel Trevor, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1795
- Caleb Trevor, who settled in Philadelphia in 1798
Trevor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Arthur Trevor, aged 25, who landed in America from Cardiff, in 1892
Trevor Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Alfred Trevor, aged 3, who settled in America from London, England, in 1907
- Clyfford Trevor, aged 29, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1909
- Edvard Lenton Trevor, aged 50, who settled in America from London, England, in 1913
- Charles Trevor, aged 21, who landed in America from Portadawn, Ireland, in 1914
- Edgar E Trevor, aged 51, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1919
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Trevor migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Trevor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. James Trevor, English convict who was convicted in Clerkenwell, London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 3
Contemporary Notables of the name Trevor (post 1700) +
- John Bond Trevor (1822-1890), American financier and Wall Street pioneer, son of John B. Trevor
- John B. Trevor (1788-1860), American politician, Pennsylvania State Treasurer (1820-1821)
- John B. Trevor Sr. (1878-1956), American lawyer and immigration reformer
- Claire Trevor (1910-2000), born Claire Wemlinger, American Academy Award-winning American actress, nicknamed the "Queen of Film Noir"
- George Trevor (1809-1888), English divine, born at Bridgwater, Somerset, the sixth son of Charles Trevor, an officer in the customs at Bridgwater, and afterwards at Belfast
- William Trevor KBE (1928-2016), Irish novelist, playwright and short story writer, three-time Whitbread Prize winning and nominated five times for the Booker Prize
- Arthur Hill- Trevor (1798-1862), English Conservative Party politician from Whittlebury, Northamptonshire
- Arthur Edwin Hill- Trevor (b. 1819), 1st Baron Trevor, Irish Conservative Member of Parliament, Member of Parliament for Down (1845-1880)
- Richard Trevor (1707-1771), English prelate, Bishop of St David's (1744 to 1752) and Bishop of Durham (1752 to 1771)
- John Trevor (1855-1930), English Unitarian minister who formed The Labour Church in 1891
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde