Show ContentsCoouville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Coouville is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Coouville family lived in Yorkshire. The family was originally from Chauvel in Manche, Normandy, and it is to their residence in this area that the name refers. 1

Another source claims the name could have been a nickname from the Old English word "cufle" for "cloak." 2

Early Origins of the Coouville family

The surname Coouville was first found in Yorkshire where Robert Covell was listed there in 1476 in the York Freeman's Register. 3 Today, the Covel variant is popular in Lincolnshire.

Early History of the Coouville family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coouville research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1584, 1588, 1589, 1595, 1596, 1601, 1614, 1638, 1654, 1658, 1661, 1688 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Coouville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coouville Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Coouville are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Coouville include Covell, Covel and others.

Early Notables of the Coouville family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Covel, Covell, Colvill (1638-1722), English clergyman and scientist who became Master of Christ's College, Cambridge (1688-1722) and vice-chancellor of the University. He was the son of William Covel, and was born at Horningsheath, Suffolk, on 2 April 1638. "After receiving his early education at the grammar school, Bury St. Edmunds, he was admitted a member of Christ's College, Cambridge, on 31 March 1654, being then in his sixteenth year. He...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coouville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Coouville family

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Coouville, or a variant listed above: Ezra Covell who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1635 with his brother Joseph; Nicholas Covell settled in Virginia in 1648; Cesara Covell settled in New England in 1635.



  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)


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