Evenson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales
Ireland

The surname Evenson is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Lefan, or Evan, which is a cognate of the personal name John. 1 2

Early Origins of the Evenson family

The surname Evenson was first found in Herefordshire.

"Exceedingly numerous in North and South Wales and in the adjacent English counties of Shropshire and Monmouth. Thence it has spread, but in rapidly diminishing numbers to the midland counties and to the south - west of England. It is absent or singularly rare in the northern counties, a line from the Humber to the Mersey sharply defining its northward extension. Not one of the coast counties, from Norfolk round to the borders of Devon, is represented in my list." 3

Early records of the family are scarce, but we did find Howell ap Yevan in the Rolls of Parliament and David ap Evan in the Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery, temp. Elizabeth I. 4

Later, John Evens was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1568 and John Evans was a Freeman of York in 1679. Jaraes Hevens was found in Suffolk in 1674. 5

Early History of the Evenson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Evenson research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1050, 1080, 1607, 1630, 1632, 1645, 1660, 1679, 1680, 1693, 1702, 1715, 1720, 1723, 1734, 1749, 1778, 1808, 1811, 1817, 1821, 1849 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Evenson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Evenson Spelling Variations

Although there are not an extremely large number Welsh surnames, there are an inordinately large number of spelling variations of those surnames. This variety of spellings began almost immediately after the acceptance of surnames within Welsh society. As time progressed, these old Brythonic names were eventually were recorded in English. This process was problematic in that many of the highly inflected sounds of the native language of Wales could not be properly captured in English. Some families, however, did decide to modify their own names to indicate a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even a patriotic affiliation. The name Evenson has seen various spelling variations: Evans, Evan, Evance, Evands, Evanson, Evason, Evens, Evenson and many more.

Early Notables of the Evenson family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Rhirid Flaith a descendant in the Evans line about 1080; Arise Evans (or Rhys or Rice Evans) (1607-1660), a Welsh prophet and fanatic; Saint Philip Evans (1645-1679), Welsh priest, declared guilty of treason and executed, one of The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales; George Evans, D.D. (1630?-1702)...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Evenson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Evenson Ranking

In the United States, the name Evenson is the 6,403^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Evenson family to Ireland

Some of the Evenson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 110 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Evenson migration to the United States +

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Evenson

Evenson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hanewd Evenson, aged 32, who landed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1831 7
Ingegorb Evenson, aged 32, who arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1831 7
Corea Evenson, aged 5, who arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1831 7
Talber Evenson, aged 2, who landed in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1831 7
Even Evenson, aged 1, who landed in New York, NY in 1837 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Evenson 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:

Evenson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Christian Evenson, who landed in Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand in 1833

Contemporary Notables of the name Evenson (post 1700) +

Jim Evenson (1947-1971), American former CFL football player, winner of the Eddie James Memorial Trophy in 1971
Brian Evenson (b. 1966), American academic and writer
Eric A. Evenson, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 8 aerial victories
W. G. Evenson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1928 8
Neils Evenson, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 6th District, 1919 8
Marvin Evenson, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1960 8
Mark E. Evenson, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, 1999 8
John Evenson, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 5th District, 1915-18 8
Jay B. Evenson, American politician, Representative from Wisconsin 3rd District, 1992 8
Duane Evenson, American politician, Mayor of Gillette, Wyoming, 2003- 8
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html