Show ContentsDavenant History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Davenant family

The surname Davenant was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when the held estates in that county.

Early History of the Davenant family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Davenant research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1137, 1398, 1432, 1455, 1487, 1510, 1541, 1542, 1576, 1596, 1597, 1600, 1606, 1641, 1643, 1656, 1668, 1680, 1681, 1685 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Davenant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Davenant Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Davenant, Devanant, Davenaunt, Devonaunt, Davenont, Devonont, Davenon, Devenon, D'Avenant and many more.

Early Notables of the Davenant family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • John Davenant (1576-1641), Bishop of Salisbury, born in 1576 in Watling Street, London, where his father was a wealthy merchant. He was educated at Queens' College, Cambridge, of which society he beca...
  • Sir William Davenant (ca.1606-1668), also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright; and his son, Charles Davenant (1656-1714), an English mercantilist economist, politician, and pamphlete...
  • William Davenant (d. 1681), the English translator, was the fourth son of Sir William D'Avenant, and younger brother of Charles Davenant. 1
  • Reverend Ralph Davenant founded Davenant Foundation School in Loughton, Essex in February 1680


Davenant migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Davenant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Davenant, who landed in Virginia in 1658 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Davenant (post 1700) +

  • Charles Davenant (1656-1714), English economist, eldest son of Sir William Davenant
  • Sir William d'Avenant (1606-1668), English poet
  • Sir William Davenant, English poet, born in London


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook