The Gawne surname is a
Brythonic Celtic name that comes from the
personal name Gawen. This name was popular due to the exploits traditionally attributed to Sir Gawaine, a nephew of
King Arthur who was a native of the English/
Welsh border area and was famed for his exploits as a Knight of the Round Table. Sir Gawaine was the hero of the battle with the giant Rhyence: 'That Gawain with his olde eurtesie.' Chaucer, The Squire's Tale. Independently, the surname Gawne is native to the
Isle of Man, and as a Manx name, it is an
occupational surname derived from Mac-an-Gabhain, which means the smith's son.
Early Origins of the Gawne family
The surname Gawne was first found in
Wiltshire, where "the Gawens of Norrington, in the parish of Alvideston, continued in that place four
hundred fifty and odd yeares. On the south downe of the farme of Broad Chalke is a little barrow called Gawen's Barrow, which must bee before ecclesiastical lawes were established."
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print. The
Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Goselena
filius Gawyne in
Cambridgeshire and the
Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Peter Gowyn and Emma Gawyn.
[2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Early History of the Gawne family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gawne research.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gawne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Gawne 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 Gawne has seen various spelling variations: Gawen, Gaven, Gavin and others.
Early Notables of the Gawne family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Gawne Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Gawne family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Gawne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- Edward Gawne, aged 31, a carpenter, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873
- Emma Gawne, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873
- Lillian J. Gawne, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873
- Westley Gawne, aged 2, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873
- Mabel Gawne, aged 6 months, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873
Contemporary Notables of the name Gawne (post 1700)
- Harry D. Gawne, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Chemung County, 1909; Candidate for New York State Senate 41st District, 1926 [3]CITATION[CLOSE]
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html - Edward Moore Gawne (1802-1871), Speaker of the House of Keys in the Isle of Man
- Philip Anderson "Phil" Gawne (b. 1965), British Manx politician