Show ContentsGivan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Givan family

The surname Givan was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow.

One of the earliest records of the family was Thomas Given, who witnessed a charter of "vnum rete super matricem aquam de Thei" by David de Haya to the monks of Cupre in 1214. 1

Early History of the Givan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Givan research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1214, 1630 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Givan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Givan Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Given, Givens, MacGiven, MacGivern and others.

Early Notables of the Givan family

More information is included under the topic Early Givan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Givan Ranking

In the United States, the name Givan is the 17,763rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Givan family to Ireland

Some of the Givan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Givan migration to Australia +

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

Givan Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Givan, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Givan (post 1700) +

  • Harry L. Givan (1911-1999), American amateur golfer, insurance executive, and co-founder of Seattle's Northwest Hospital & Medical Center
  • Richard M. Givan (1921-2009), American jurist, 96th Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court (1969-1994)
  • Paul Jonathan Givan (b. 1981), Northern Irish unionist politician in Northern Ireland, Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Lagan Valley (2010-)


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall


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