Show ContentsIevent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Ievent

What does the name Ievent mean?

The Ievent surname comes from the Welsh personal name Evan. The original form of the name was Jevon, which then became Yevan and Ieuan before taking on its present form. Evan is a cognate of the personal name John.

Early Origins of the Ievent family

The surname Ievent was first found in Lincolnshire. Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings over the years. Alexander le iouene was the first on record followed by John le Jofne who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1200. Over 50 years later, Bartholomew le Joevene, le Juvene was found in Bedfordshire (1254-1269.) But before that, Robert le Joefne, le Jevene was listed in the Feet of Fines for Northumberland (1242-1255.) 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include a listing for Heine filius Yevan in Salop (Shropshire.) "Jevons is an old name in Shropshire. Samuel Jevon was mayor of Shrewsbury in 1672 (Phillip's "Shrewsbury"). Jevans was the name of the bailiffs of Ludlow in 1538 and 1593." 2

Early History of the Ievent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ievent research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1564, 1594, 1600, 1652, 1673, 1676, 1686, 1688, 1795, 1825, 1835, 1845, 1867 and 1882 are included under the topic Early Ievent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ievent Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Ievent have included Jeavon, Jeavons, Jevin, Jevan, Jevon, Jevons, Javin, Gevin, Gevinn, Ievan and many more.

Early Notables of the Ievent family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Jevon (1652-1688), actor and playwright. He was "a dancing-master, but worked his way on to the stage, and played leading low-comedy parts in London between 1673 and 1688. He appeared as Sneak in D'Urfey's 'Fond Husband' in 1676, and made a brilliant success as Harlequin in Mountford's farcical 'Dr. Faustus.' His only published play, and probably, as a contemporary manuscript note on one of the British Museum copies says, 'the only dramatick performance of Mr. Thos. Jevon,' was 'The Devil of a Wife; or a Comical Transformation,' which was licensed...
Another 161 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ievent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ievent family to Ireland

Some of the Ievent family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ievent family

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Ievent were found: D. Gevinn, who sailed to New Orleans in 1820; Thomas Gevin, also to New Orleans, in 1823; and John Givin, who settled in Des Moines, Iowa by 1887.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


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