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Gavin History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Gavin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Ireland
Wales

Etymology of Gavin

What does the name Gavin mean?

Many variations of the name Gavin have evolved since the time of its initial creation. In Gaelic it appeared as Ó Gaibhtheachain, which is derived from the word "gaibhtheach," which means "anxious." 1

Early Origins of the Gavin family

The surname Gavin was first found in County Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) located on the West coast of the Republic of Ireland in the province of Connacht, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. The Gavigan, Gavin, or Gavahan surname is derived from the Irish Chieftain Gabhadhan who was descended from King Colla da Crioch, one of the three Colla Kings who ruled Ireland and died about 360 A.D.

Interestingly, early Cornish records listed reference to some of the family in the parish of St. Hilary, Cornwall. "Prior to the days of Elizabeth, the barton of Treveneage belonged to an ancient family called Gaverigan, from whom it passed during that reign, with a co-heiress to the Godolphins." 2

Early History of the Gavin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gavin research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1679, 1689 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Gavin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gavin Spelling Variations

People who were accounted for by scribes and church officials often had their name recorded many different ways because pronunciation was the only guide those scribes and church officials had to go by. This resulted in the problem of one person's name being recorded under several different variations, creating the illusion of more than one person. Among the many spelling variations of the surname Gavin that are preserved in archival documents are Gavigan, Gavin, Gavihan, Gavahan, Gavan, Gavagain, Gavagan, Gaven, Gavin, Gavighan and many more.

Early Notables of the Gavin family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Gavin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gavin Ranking

In the United States, the name Gavin is the 2,659^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3

Gavin migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Gavin to North America:

Gavin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel Gavin who landed in Virginia in 1654
James Gavin, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 4

Gavin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Gavin, who landed in Virginia in 1713 4
Anthony Gavin, who landed in Virginia in 1735 4
John Gavin, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1773
Thomas Gavin, who settled in Maryland in 1774

Gavin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James, John, Michael, Thomas Gavin, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1775 and 1850
Michael Gavin, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1851 4
William Gavin, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Joaquina Gavin, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1876 4
Patrick Gavin, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1880 4

Gavin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gavin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ann Gavin, aged 37 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Miss. Ann Gavin, aged 8 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Mr. Peter Gavin, aged 35 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Sisters" departing 22nd April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but he died on board 5

Gavin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gavin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Gavin, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Philip Gavin, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
John Gavin, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Miss Maria Gavin, (b. 1805), aged 24, Irish servant who was convicted in Longfords, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 1 chlid 9
John Gavin, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "William Nicol" in 1840 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gavin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gavin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Gavin, (b. 1807), aged 40, Irish settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Mrs. Eliza Gavin Née Robinette, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Miss Mary Gavin, (b. 1838), aged 9, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Miss Elizabeth Gavin, (b. 1844), aged 3, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
Miss Jane Gavin, (b. 1846), aged 1, Irish settler travelling aboard the ship "Sir Robert Sale" from Gravesend via Cork arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th October 1847 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gavin (post 1700) +

John Gavin (1931-2018), born Juan Vincent Apablasa Jr., an American actor and diplomat, known for his roles in Imitation of Life (1959), Spartacus (1960), Psycho (1960), and Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), United States Ambassador to Mexico (1981â€“1986)
Major General Herbert J. Gavin (1921-2009), American Commander of the Sacramento Air Logistics Center (1975), awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with seven oak leaf clusters
Blair Gavin (b. 1989), American soccer player
John Gavin (b. 1931), American actor, former United States Ambassador to Mexico
James Maurice Gavin (1907-1991), American general, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart and the British Distinguished Service Order
James W. Gavin Jr., American politician, U.S. Attorney for Delaware, 1977-81 12
James Maurice Gavin (1907-1990), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to France, 1961-62 12
James M. Gavin, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Buffalo, New York, 1952-53 12
Harold Gavin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1956 12
Frank E. Gavin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Indiana 7th District, 1906 12
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gavin family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Bryan Buchanan Gavin, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 13

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. 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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 77)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) WILLIAM NICOL. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840WilliamNichol.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html