Show ContentsDerwand History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Derwand

What does the name Derwand mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Derwand comes from the family having resided beside the river Darwen or Derwent in Lancashire. "Over and Lower Darwen are towns in the ancient parish of Blackburn, Lancashire, so called because located on the small stream the Darwen, a variation of the common river name Derwent. " 1

Early Origins of the Derwand family

The surname Derwand was first found in Lancashire. The baptismal name Derewen was found in the Domesday Book. 2 One of the first listings of the family was found in Oxfordshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. Years later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Robertus Darwent and Henricus Darwent, walker. 1

"The family home of the Darwins in the 17th century was at Cleaton in Lincolnshire, and at Elston in Nottinghamshire. From this stock sprang, last century, the noted Derbyshire Darwins, to which branch Charles Darwin, the great naturalist, belonged. " 3

Robert Darwin of Elston (1682-1754) was an English physician who discovered the first remains of a Jurassic reptile in 1718 in a stone from a quarry at Fulbeck. He was the ancestor of the famed naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882.)

Early History of the Derwand family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Derwand research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1620, 1644, 1731, 1802, 1809 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Derwand History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Derwand Spelling Variations

Derwand has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Darwin, Darwen, Derwent, Darwent and others.

Early Notables of the Derwand family

Notables of the family at this time include William Darwin (d. 1644) who possessed a small estate at Cleatham, and was yeoman of the armoury at Greenwich to James I and Charles I. His son William (b. 1620) served in the Royalist Army, and afterwards became a barrister and recorder of Lincoln and married the daughter of Erasmus Earle, serjeant-at-law. His eldest son, a third William, married the...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Derwand Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Derwand family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Derwands to arrive on North American shores: Peter Darwin who settled in Barnstable Massachusetts in 1822.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


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