The Anglo-Saxon name Ivins comes from the baptismal name Evand a Welsh personal name for John The surname Ivins referred to the son of Evand which belongs to the category of patronymic surnames. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.
The surname Ivins was first found in Cambridgeshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ivins research. Another 206 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1500, 1691, and 1788 are included under the topic Early Ivins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Ivins has appeared include Ivens, Ivone, Ivones, Iveans, Ivinges, Ivinson and many more.
More information is included under the topic Early Ivins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Ivins arrived in North America very early: James W. Ivens, who sailed to Philadelphia in 1853 and Joshua Ivinson, who arrived in Mississippi in 1860.