Show ContentsCorwin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the first family to use the name Corwin were thought to have lived among the Boernician tribe of ancient Scotland. They lived in Cumberland, where it was originally associated with Culwen. Culwen or Culewen is the old spelling of Colvend which was located near the river Urr, Kirkcudbrightshire.

Early Origins of the Corwin family

The surname Corwin was first found in Northumberland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Corwin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Corwin research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1379, 1554, 1558, 1559, 1567, 1571, 1621 and 1679 are included under the topic Early Corwin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corwin Spelling Variations

Before the printing press and the first dictionaries appeared, names and other words were often spelled differently every time they were written. Corwin has appeared under the variations Curwen, Curwens, Corwen, Corwyn, Curwyn, Curwin, Curvin, Corwin, Kerwen, Kerwin, Kerwyn, Kervin and many more.

Early Notables of the Corwin family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Corwin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Corwin Ranking

In the United States, the name Corwin is the 4,559th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


Corwin migration to the United States +

The Scots who crossed the Atlantic were often on the run from poverty as well as persecution. They brought little with them, and often had nothing of their home country to hand down to their children. In the 20th century, Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations have helped the ancestors of Boernician Scots to recover their lost national legacy. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Corwin were among those contributors:

Corwin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mathias Corwin, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1634
  • Matthias Corwin, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1634 2
  • George Corwin, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1638, from Cumberland, England
Corwin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Corwin, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1848
  • A Corwin, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • J Corwin, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
  • J R Corwin, who arrived in San Francisco California in 1850 2

Corwin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Corwin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Corwin U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
  • Mr. Joseph Corwin Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Corwin (post 1700) +

  • Thomas "Tom" Corwin (1794-1865), American politician, U.S. Representative and Senator from Ohio
  • Norman Lewis Corwin (1910-2011), American Peabody Medal(2), Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winning writer and producer inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1993
  • Moses Bledso Corwin (1790-1872), American politician, U.S. Representative from Ohio
  • Jonathan Corwin (1640-1718), New England merchant, judge in the Salem Witch Trials
  • Jeffrey "Jeff" Scott Corwin (b. 1967), American animal and nature conservationist, television show host on Animal Planet
  • Jane Corwin (b. 1964), Republican nominee for U.S. Congress, NY-26
  • Franklin Corwin (1818-1879), American politician, U.S. Representative from Illinois
  • Edward Samuel Corwin (1878-1963), American law professor, president of the American Political Science Association
  • Edward Tanjore Corwin (1834-1914), American writer and historian of the Reformed Dutch church
  • Walter Corwin Miller (1926-2020), American five-time Emmy Award winning television producer and and three-time Director's Guild of American winning director


The Corwin 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: Si je n'estoy
Motto Translation: If I were not.


Suggested Readings for the name Corwin +

  • Corwin Ancestry by Robert Gillespie Corwin.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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