Kovey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The Strathclyde-Briton people of ancient Scotland were the first to use the name Kovey. It is a name for someone who works as a tender of cattle. The name is an adaptation of the Old English word cuhyrde, of the same meaning. It derives from the roots, cu, meaning cow, and hierde, meaning herdsman. The family were "mainly from the ancient barony of Cowie in Kincardineshire." 1 2

Early Origins of the Kovey family

The surname Kovey was first found in Kincardineshire (Gaelic: A' Mhaoirne), a former county on the northeast coast of the Grampian region of Scotland, and part of the Aberdeenshire Council Area since 1996. Cowie is a small village "situated at the mouth of the river Cowie, which falls into a bay of that name, forming a small and commodious harbour." 3

Cowie Castle is a ruined fortress nearby and is thought to have been the site of a royal hunting lodge in the Middle Ages. Cowie Chapel also known as the Chapel of St. Mary and St. Nathalan is a ruined chapel but is one of the oldest surviving structures in Kincardineshire.

One of the first records of the family was Herbert de Cowy who witnessed a charter by Nicholas de Dumfres in 1394. Years later, John Cowy was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1505. 1

Early History of the Kovey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kovey research. Another 174 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1040, 1394, 1505, 1512, 1600, 1642 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Kovey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kovey Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Kovey has been spelled Cowie, Cowey, Cowy, Covie, Cowye, Covey, Cowwie, Cowwey, Coavie, Coawie, Kowie, Kowey, Kovey and many more.

Early Notables of the Kovey family

More information is included under the topic Early Kovey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kovey family

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them: Phillip Cowie settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1834; followed by Thomas in 1859.

Contemporary Notables of the name Kovey (post 1700) +

Robert Kovey, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2008 4

Citations +

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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html