Show ContentsIvins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Ivins Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Ivins

What does the name Ivins mean?

The surname Ivins is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Lefan, or Evan, which is a cognate of the personal name John. 1 2

Early Origins of the Ivins family

The surname Ivins was first found in Herefordshire.

"Exceedingly numerous in North and South Wales and in the adjacent English counties of Shropshire and Monmouth. Thence it has spread, but in rapidly diminishing numbers to the midland counties and to the south - west of England. It is absent or singularly rare in the northern counties, a line from the Humber to the Mersey sharply defining its northward extension. Not one of the coast counties, from Norfolk round to the borders of Devon, is represented in my list." 3

Early records of the family are scarce, but we did find Howell ap Yevan in the Rolls of Parliament and David ap Evan in the Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery, temp. Elizabeth I. 4

Later, John Evens was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1568 and John Evans was a Freeman of York in 1679. Jaraes Hevens was found in Suffolk in 1674. 5

Early History of the Ivins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ivins research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1050, 1080, 1607, 1630, 1632, 1645, 1660, 1679, 1680, 1693, 1702, 1715, 1720, 1723, 1734, 1749, 1778, 1808, 1811, 1817, 1821, 1849 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ivins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ivins 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 Ivins has seen various spelling variations: Evans, Evan, Evance, Evands, Evanson, Evason, Evens, Evenson and many more.

Early Notables of the Ivins family

Rhirid Flaith a descendant in the Evans line about 1080; Arise Evans (or Rhys or Rice Evans) (1607-1660), a Welsh prophet and fanatic; Saint Philip Evans (1645-1679), Welsh priest, declared guilty of treason and executed, one of The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales; George Evans, D.D. (1630?-1702), an English antiquary, vicar of New Windsor; William Evans (d...
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ivins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ivins family to Ireland

Some of the Ivins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 110 words (8 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 Ivins family

The Welsh migration to North America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries contributed greatly to its rapid development. These migrants were in search of land, work, and freedom. Those Welsh families that survived the long ocean journey were critical to the development of new industries and factories, and to the quick settlement of land. They also added to an ever-growing rich cultural heritage. A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Ivins: Stephen Evan who settled in Philadelphia in 1683 with his wife and two children; Anne, Christopher, Clement, Daniel, Edward, Elizabeth, Francis, Griffin, George, Henry, James, John, Joan, Laurence, Margaret, Mary, Richard, Robert, Simon, Thomas, William Evans, who all settled in Virginia between 1623 and 1640.

Contemporary Notables of the name Ivins (post 1700)+

  • Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins (1944-2007), American newspaper columnist, author, political commentator and humorist
  • Marsha Sue Ivins (b. 1951), former NASA Astronaut with 5 shuttle missions logged and over 1,318 hours in space 6
  • Bruce Edwards Ivins (1946-2008), American biomedical researcher
  • William Mills Ivins (1851-1915), American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of New York City, New York, 1905 7
  • Thomas W. Ivins, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Ocean County, 1860 8
  • Heber Grant Ivins, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Utah, 1972 8
  • Owen Gilbert Ivins (b. 1991), South African-born, New Zealand cricketer
  • William Mills Ivins Jr. (1881-1961), American curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
  • Antoine R. Ivins (1888-1967), official of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Marsha Ivins. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/ivins.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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