Show ContentsHaven History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Haven family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in the county of Derbyshire. However, the family resided in Avenelles in the department of Eure, Normandy before coming to England in the just prior to the major flood of Norman emigration in the 11th century. 1

Early Origins of the Haven family

The surname Haven was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Nether Haddon from early times. They were descended from Sir des Biars who attended Duke William at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D. and also bore the name of Avenals. William Avennel was this same Sire who was Lord of Biars in the canton d'Isigny in Normandy.

"It is clear, however, that they owned a great territory in Derbyshire not long after [the Conquest]; for 'Avenel Haddon' (William Avenel in another deed) is one of the witnesses of the foundation charter of Lenton Priory in the time of Henry I. ; and, by a separate charter, bestowed upon it two manors belonging to his own domain of Haddon. In 1169, Robert Avenel witnessed another donation to this Priory, and the foundation charter of Welbeck Abbey. This may have been the same Robert Avenel des Biarz whose name is appended to a charter granted in 1158 at Tinchebray by the Count de Mortaine to the nuns of Mouton ; but the family was exceptionally numerous, and the coat of arms of Avenel of Haddon, Gules six annulets Argent, does not bear the faintest resemblance to that of the Sires de Biarz, chef de la branche mere, who bore De gueules a trois aigles d'argent." 2

Haddon Hall near Bakewell, Derbyshire was the site of the 12th-century marriage between Sir Richard de Vernon and Alice Avenell, daughter of William Avenell II. At that time, the hall passed into the Vernon family. Historically, the hall was originally held by William Peverel, illegitimate son of William the Conqueror in 1087. Later the hall was forfeited to the Crown in 1153 and then passed to a tenant of the Peverils, the Avenell family. 3

The Liber Niger mentions Avenels in Bedfordshire. 4 John de Avenel, jointly with two others, was Sheriff of Gloucester 1187, 1188, 1189: and must have been the father of William de Avenel of the same county, who was a banneret in the time of King John. They bore the six annulets of the house of Haddon. William de Avenel (perhaps the same ?) in the following reign served as knight of the shire for Cambridge, where his name is preserved by Avenel's Manor; and "held Barford-St.-Martin in capite of the King." 2

In Scotland, "on the other side of the Border, the Avenels held one of the most important of the Marcher baronies. Robert Avenel, the first Lord of Eskdale, was for a short time Justiciary of Lothian, and received his lands from David I., whom he probably accompanied to Scotland. He died a monk of Melrose in 1185, having been one of the principal benefactors of the Abbey. His daughter was the paramour of William the Lion, to whom she bore a daughter named Isabel, the wife of Robert Bruce. His son Gervase confirmed his grants to Melrose; but his grandson Robert disputed them, and had a fierce contest with the monks, which was decided in their favour by the King in person in 1235. (Monastic Annals of Teviotdale.) With this Robert the line ended in 1243; and 'his great domain passed to his son-in-law, Henry de Graham, one of the Magnates Scotiae in the parliament held at Scone in 1283.' " 2

Early History of the Haven family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Haven research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1220 is included under the topic Early Haven History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Haven Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Avenells, Avenett, Avenet, Avnett, d'Avenell, Davenel, Davenell, Davenall and many more.

Early Notables of the Haven family

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

Haven Ranking

In the United States, the name Haven is the 5,783rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5


Haven migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Haven or a variant listed above were:

Haven Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Haven, who landed in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1645 6

Haven migration to Australia +

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

Haven Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Haven, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Osceola" 7
  • Honor Haven, aged 20, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Sea Park"
  • William J. Haven (aged 21), a saddler, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Aurora"

Contemporary Notables of the name Haven (post 1700) +

  • R. D. Haven, American Republican politician, Mayor of Duluth, Minnesota, 1908-09 8
  • Nathaniel Appleton Haven (1762-1831), American politician, Representative from New Hampshire 4th District, 1809-11 8
  • Martin Haven, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Albion, Michigan, 1875-86 8
  • Malcolm Dexter Haven (b. 1901), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from South Carolina, 1960 8
  • Joseph E. Haven (1885-1937), American politician, U.S. Consul in Crefeld, 1907-08; Roubaix, 1908-14; Catania, 1914-16; Turin, 1916-20; Avlona, 1919; Trieste, 1920-22; Florence, 1923-37; San Marino, 1929-37 8
  • John O. Haven, American politician, Member of Minnesota State Senate 30th District, 1872-73 8
  • John Hilton Haven, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1936; Member of Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, 1937 8
  • George W. Haven, American politician, Mayor of Burbank, California, 1965-66, 1969-70 8
  • F. G. Haven, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 31st District, 1927-30; Member of South Dakota State Senate 30th District, 1933-38 8
  • Don S. Haven, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Belgrade, 1922; U.S. Consul in San Luis Potosi, 1925; Aguascalientes, 1925; Halifax, 1926 8
  • ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Liber Niger Scutarii ("Black Book of the Exchequer"), containing reports by county on feudal holdings in England in 1166 (reign of Henry II)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OSCEOLA / ASCEOLA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Osceola-Asceola.htm
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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