Kerver History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Kerver

What does the name Kerver mean?

Kerver is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a wood-carver or sculptor. The former occupation was more common than the latter. Chaucer describes a wood-carver in the late 13th century "Knight's Tale", writing, "Ne purteyour, ne kerver of images."

The surname Kerver is derived from the Old English word ceorfan, which means to cut or to carve. However, the surname Kerver may also be derived from the occupation of a ploughman. In this case, the surname Kerver is derived from the Old French words charuier and caruier, which both mean ploughman. 1

Early Origins of the Kerver family

The surname Kerver was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where Adam le Karver was listed in Devon and Richard le Kerver was found in Lincolnshire. 2

Years later, the family was found much further to the north in Scotland where "payment was made to John Kerver, merchant of Scotland, 1476. Symon Karwur bound himself to the Abbey of Dunfermelyn in 1507 'for all and hail the dais of his lyfe that he sall remane and wirk in the abba in the craft of the wryt craft and repare all neidfull werkis of the samyn als far has he hafis knawlege' . Robert Carwor witnessed a precept of sasine at Scone, 1544." 3

Early History of the Kerver family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kerver research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1203, 1275, 1290, 1490, 1505, 1567, 1576, 1607, 1608, 1620, 1621, 1710 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Kerver History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerver Spelling Variations

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 Kerver has appeared include Carver, Carvere, Carvar, Carever, Carber, Kerver and many more.

Early Notables of the Kerver family

Robert Carver (1490-1567), Scottish Renaissance monk and composer of Christian sacred music. John Carver (c.1576-1621), was leader of the 'Pilgrim fathers,' an Englishman and agent of the English congregational church at Leyden in Holland. When he sailed in the Mayflower (1620) he was 'of good age,' father of several children, one daughter being aged 14. In his time the name of Carver, alias Calver, was common in the midland counties, and the best conjecture is that he came from Nottinghamshire. He was one of the...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kerver Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerver migration to the United States +

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 Kerver arrived in North America very early:

Kerver Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Niklaas Kerver, who landed in New York in 1709 4

Sources +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
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)