Show ContentsGarvin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Garvin originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Gairbhin, derived from the word "garbh," which means "rough." 1

Early Origins of the Garvin family

The surname Garvin was first found in County Tyrone (Irish: Tír Eoghain), the ancient territory of the O'Neills, now in the Province of Ulster, central Northern Ireland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.

Early History of the Garvin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garvin research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1000, 1527, 1558, 1560 and 1595 are included under the topic Early Garvin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garvin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Garvin, Garvey, Garwin, Garvine, Garven, Garvan, Garvy, Garvie, Garwen and many more.

Early Notables of the Garvin family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was John Garvey (1527-1595), an Irish Protestant bishop of Kilmore and Archbishop of Armagh. He was the eldest son of John O'Garvey of Morisk, co. Mayo and was born in the county of Kilkenny. "He was educated at Oxford, where he graduated in the reign of Edward VI; but through some negligence his name does not appear in the public...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Garvin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garvin Ranking

In the United States, the name Garvin is the 2,402nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2


United States Garvin migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Garvin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Daniel Garvin, an 'enforced' Irish emigrant, sent to America in 1742
  • Hugh Garvin, who landed in Frederick County, Maryland in 1796 3
Garvin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Garvin, who settled in New York in 1811
  • Patrick Garvin, who landed in New Jersey in 1811 3
  • John Garvin, who was on record in Tennessee in 1812
  • James Garvin who landed in Philadelphia in 1834
  • Samuel Garvin, who landed in Mississippi in 1840 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Garvin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Garvin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Betsey Garvin, who arrived in Montreal in 1845

Australia Garvin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Garvin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Elizabeth Garvin, (b. 1782), aged 36, Irish servant who was convicted in Fermanagh, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
  • Mr. Michael Garvin, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Garvin (post 1700) +

  • Alexander Garvin (1941-2021), American urban planner, educator, and author from New York City
  • Clifton C. Garvin Jr. (1921-2016), American businessman, CEO of Exxon from 1975 to 1986
  • Major-General Crump Garvin (1898-1980), American Deputy Commandant of Armed Forces Staff College (1955-1956) 6
  • Anita Garvin (1906-1994), American actress
  • Jimmy Garvin (b. 1952), retired American professional wrestler
  • James Garvin (b. 1950), retired American NBA basketball player
  • Ignatius P. Garvin, American politician, Mayor of Augusta, Georgia, 1848-49 7
  • Florence Garvin, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1924; National Candidate for Vice President of the United States, 1932 7
  • Edwin Louis Garvin (1877-1960), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, 1918-25; Justice of New York Supreme Court 2nd District, 1941-47 7
  • Don A. Garvin, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 14th District, 1968 7
  • ... (Another 24 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Garvin +

  • The Garvin Genealogy: Descendants of Henry and Sarah McKee Garvin of Ireland and Pennsylvania by Richard M. Cochran Sr..
  • Family Stories: The Garvins by Robert Garvin.

  1. MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  6. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 5) Crump Garvin. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Garvin/Crump/USA.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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