Show ContentsSlavin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Slavin originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Sleibhin or O'Sleibhin, derived from "sliabh," which means "mountain," and was a symbolic name for the Chief of this Clann. This is "the name of a branch of the Cenél Eoghain in Ulster. Some families of the name settled in Co. Westmeath." [1]

Another notes a slightly different Gaelic spelling of the name: O'Sliabhain, which has the same meaning "mountain." Like many other Irish families, they claim descent from Colla da Crioch, one of the most famous Heremon Kings of Ireland. [2]

Early Origins of the Slavin family

The surname Slavin was first found in Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Slavin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Slavin research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1172 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Slavin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slavin Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Slavin were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Slavin, Slaving, Slevin, Sleving, Slevan, Sleavin and many more.

Early Notables of the Slavin family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

  • Slavin of Fermanagh

Slavin Ranking

In the United States, the name Slavin is the 6,783rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [3]


United States Slavin migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Slavin or a variant listed above, including:

Slavin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles, Cornelius, Danial, Edward, Francis, Hugh, John, Michael, Patrick, Thomas, and William Slavin all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1808 and 1864
  • Anne Slavin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 [4]
  • Catherine Slavin, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 [4]
  • James Slavin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 [4]
  • Michael Slavin, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Slavin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Cassie Slavin, aged 24, who settled in America from Donegal, in 1900
  • Bernard Slavin, aged 9, who immigrated to the United States from Tyrone, in 1903
  • Chaim Slavin, aged 23, who settled in America from Liege, in 1906
  • Chas. Slavin, aged 33, who immigrated to the United States from Cardiff, S. Wales, in 1908
  • Bridget Slavin, aged 21, who landed in America from Newhill, Ireland, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Slavin (post 1700) +

  • Paul Slavin, American producer, known for ABC World News Tonight with David Muir (1953) and A Line in the Sand: War or Peace? (1991)
  • John Slavin (1869-1940), American actor, known for A Bunch of Keys (1915), For Freedom (1918) and Walton and Slavin No. 3 (1894)
  • George F. Slavin (1916-2001), British writer of 17 Hollywood feature films and 300 episodes and pilot episodes for American television
  • Millie Slavin, American actress, born in New York, New York, known for Forever Young (1992), Collateral Damage (2002) and The Truman Show (1998)
  • Jonathan Slavin (b. 1969), American actor and activist, born in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, known for Santa Clarita Diet (2017), Speechless (2016) and Better Off Ted (2009)
  • Robert Edward Slavin (1950-2021), American psychologist who studied educational and academic issues, known for his Success for All educational model
  • Jane Slavin (b. 1970), British actress and author, winner of the 1989 Carleton Hobbs award
  • Martin Slavin (1922-1988), British composer and music director
  • Mark Slavin (1954-1972), Israeli Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler, victim of the Munich massacre

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Owen Slavin, Irish Trimmer from Dundalk, Louth, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking [5]


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, More Irish Families. Dublin: Irish Academic Press, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-0126-0)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


Houseofnames.com on Facebook