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Beaven History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Beaven History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The Welsh name Beaven is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Evan. The surname Beaven was originally ab-Evan, or ap-Evan: the distinctive Welsh patronymic prefix "ab" or "ap," means "son of," but the prefix has been assimilated into the surname over the course of time. 1 2 3

"The normal type of Welsh name was a patronymic: Madog ap Jevan ap Jorwerth, ‘Madoc, son of Evan, son of Yorwerth’, a type which resulted ultimately in such names as Pumfrey, Benian, Bevan, etc." 4

Early Origins of the Beaven family

The surname Beaven was first found in Herefordshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times. One of the first record of the family was Howel ap-Evan who was listed in the Writs of Parliament c. 1300. The Calendarium Rotulorum Chartarum lists Eygneun ap Yevan, but no dates or location is provided. The plural form "Bevans is a double patronymic, part English, part Welsh, ab-Evan-s." 5

The Welsh "ap Evan" version survived for centuries as a Visitation in London in 1633 listed Rys ap Madoc ap Tudir ap Hoel ap Evan.

Early History of the Beaven family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Beaven research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1560, 1586, 1589, 1602, 1605, 1637, 1691, 1695, 1748, 1753, 1765 and 1923 are included under the topic Early Beaven History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beaven 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 Beaven have included Bevan, Beavan, Beevan, Beaven, Beven, Bevin, Bevins, Bevans, Beavans and many more.

Early Notables of the Beaven family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Silvanus Bevan (1691-1765), Welsh apothecary, who founded the firm Allen & Hanburys; William Bevan, Pen-y-Coed; and Francis Bevans (died 1602) an English lawyer and Principal of Jesus College, Oxford from 1586 to 1602.Elway Bevin was an eminent theoretical and practical musician, the date of whose birth is unknown. He was of Welsh extraction, and received his musical education under Tallis. According to Wood (Ashmole MS. 8568, 106) he was...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Beaven Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Beaven migration to the United States +

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Beaven:

Beaven Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Beaven, who landed in New York in 1844 6

Beaven migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Beaven Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Beaven, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Edward Beaven, English convict from Gloucester, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Francis Beaven, aged 25, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 9
Emma Beaven, aged 28, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Taymouth Castle" 9

Beaven 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:

Beaven Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Alfred Beaven, (b. 1840), aged 23, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Sir George Pollock" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand in January 1863 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Beaven (post 1700) +

Thomas Daniel Beaven (1851-1920), the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts (1892 to 1920)
Luke Edward Beaven (b. 1989), English cricketer
Peter Jamieson Beaven (1925-2012), New Zealand architect based in Christchurch, one of two architects that have been awarded the New Zealand Institute of Architects gold medal
The Rt Rev Frederick Hicks Beaven, Bishop of Mashonaland (1911 to 1925)
James Beaven (1801-1875), Canadian Church of England clergyman and author
Derek Beaven (b. 1947), British novelist, recipient of the Commonwealth Writers Prize
Ellie Beaven (b. 1980), English actress
Professor Sir Donald Ward "Don" Beaven KNZM, CBE (1924-2009), New Zealand medical researcher in the area of diabetes treatment and prevention
Robert Beaven (1836-1920), Canadian politician and businessman, 6th Premier of British Columbia (1882 to 1883)
Joseph Beaven Platt (b. 1915), American physicist, educator and administrator, who was a member of the National Academy of Sciences

The Beaven 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: Semper virtuti constans
Motto Translation: Always constant to virtue.

Citations +

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.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
South Australian Register Tuesday 26th June 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Taymouth Castle 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/taymouthcastle1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html