Kerwin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Kerwin family

The surname Kerwin was first found in Northumberland where the "Curwens of Workington claim descent from the famous Gospatric, Earl of Northumberland. They 'took that name by covenant from Culwen, a family of Galloway, the heir whereof they had married.' Camden. De Culwen was changed to Curwen temp. Henry VI." 1

Early History of the Kerwin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kerwin research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1320, 1379, 1571, 1602, 1621, 1640, 1664, 1666, 1679, 1696 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Kerwin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerwin Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Curwen, Curwens, Corwen, Corwyn, Curwyn, Curwin, Curvin, Corwin, Kerwen, Kerwin, Kerwyn, Kervin and many more.

Early Notables of the Kerwin family

Sir Henry Curwen; Robert Curwen, a landholder in 1379 in Yorkshire; Sir Henry and Sir Thomas Curwen of Workington Hall; Sir Patricius Curwen, 1st Baronet (c. 1602-1664), an English landowner and politician who supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War; George Corwin (1666-1696), High Sheriff of Essex County, Massachusetts during the Salem...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kerwin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerwin Ranking

the United States, the name Kerwin is the 10,889^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Kerwin migration to the United States +

Kerwin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Kerwin, who arrived in New England in 1770 3

Kerwin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Kerwin, aged 24, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1820
John Kerwin, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1854
John Kerwin, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1854 3

Kerwin migration to Australia +

Kerwin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Kerwin, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"
John Kerwin, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Thomas Arbuthnot"

Contemporary Notables of the name Kerwin (post 1700) +

Lance M. Kerwin (1960-2023), American actor, known for Outbreak (1995), Enemy Mine (1985) and Salem's Lot (1979)
Daniel Patrick Kerwin (1874-1960), American outfielder in Major League Baseball
Thomas Vincent "Tom" Kerwin (b. 1944), retired American professional basketball player
Cornelius M. "Neil" Kerwin (b. 1949), American educator in public administration
James Kerwin (b. 1973), American film and theatre director
Brian Kerwin (b. 1949), American actor
Joseph Peter Kerwin (b. 1932), former NASA astronaut with over 28 days in space aboard Skylab 2 4
James E. Kerwin, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Passaic County, 1913 5
Edward J. Kerwin, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for New York, 1932 6
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Kerwin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Si je n'estoy
Motto Translation: If I were not.

Sources +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Joseph Kerwin. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kerwin-jp.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html