Blevins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

Etymology of Blevins

What does the name Blevins mean?

From the Celtic land of Wales came the name of Blevins. This name initially evolved from the Welsh personal name Blethyn.

Early Origins of the Blevins family

The surname Blevins was first found in Denbighshire (Welsh: Sir Ddinbych), a historic county in Northeast Wales created by the Laws in Wales Act 1536, where Meredith Ap Blethyn was Prince of North Wales in the 11th century. William the Conqueror seized Prince Meridith's castle at Oswestry in Shropshire after 1066 but he retained his Welsh estates. 1 2

"At the Survey we see that King William was Lord of this manor (Mileham), but soon after Alan, son of Flaald, obtained it by the gilt of William the Conqueror; also the castle of Oswaldstrey in Shropshire, which belonged to Meredith ap Blethyn, a Welshman or Briton." 3

Dafydd ap Bleddyn (died 1346), also known as David ap Blethin, was the Welsh Catholic Bishop of St. Asaph in Wales from 1315 to 1346.

Early History of the Blevins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Blevins research. Another 137 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1366, 1391, 1524, 1579, 1590, 1601, 1627, 1652 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Blevins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blevins Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Blevins have included Blevin, Blevyn, Ap Blethyn, Ap Plethyn, Plethen, Blethin, Blethen, Blevins and many more.

Early Notables of the Blevins family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was William Blethyn, (d.1590), Bishop of Llandaff in 1579. He was born in Wales, and educated at Oxford, at either New Inn Hall or Broadgates Hall...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Blevins Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Blevins Ranking

In the United States, the name Blevins is the 719^th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 4

Blevins migration to the United States +

Many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, searching for land, work, and freedom. Like the many other immigrants from the British Isles, they made a significant contribution to the development of Canada and the United States. The Welsh and their descendents added a rich cultural tradition to the newly developed towns, cities, and villages. An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Blevins:

Blevins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Blevins, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 5

Blevins Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

J. Blevins, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
Eva Blevins, aged 26, who landed in America from Stanhope, England, in 1910
Lizzie Blevins, aged 30, who landed in America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1913
Emily Blevins, aged 28, who immigrated to America from Belfast, Ireland, in 1916
Thomas Blevins, aged 45, who immigrated to the United States, in 1919
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Blevins (post 1700) +

Doug Blevins (1963-2024), born William Douglas Blevins, an American college football coach who was born with cerebral palsy
Harry B. Blevins (1935-2018), American politician of the Republican Party, Member of the Virginia Senate (2001-2013), Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1998-2001)
Patricia M. Blevins, American politician, Majority Leader of the Delaware Senate
Leon Gravette Blevins (1926-1988), American NBA basketball player
Tony Blevins (b. 1975), former professional American NFL football cornerback
Adrian Blevins (b. 1964), American poet
James Victor Blevins (1912-1999), American businessman, who founded Blevins Popcorn Co. in 1945
Ruby Blevins (1914-1996), American country music singer and songwriter, who used the stage name Patsy Montana
Jerry Richard Blevins (b. 1983), American Major League Baseball player
Bret Blevins (b. 1960), American comic book artist, animation story board artist, and painter
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Page, William (ed), A History of the County of Norfolk. London: Victoria County History, 1906. 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)