Lavin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

Etymology of Lavin

What does the name Lavin mean?

The history of the Lavin family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northwestern France, to the regions known as Brittany and Normandy. The name Lavigne is derived from the Old French word "vigne," meaning "vine," and as such it is likely that the first bearers of this name owned or worked on a vineyard. 1

Early Origins of the Lavin family

The surname Lavin was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the seigneury of Haute Morays.

They later branched to Houle in that same province. They were closely allied to this latter House of Houlle de Kermassonet. Branching to the region of Tournai they intermarried with the family of Hennebert. Branches were later found in Maine, Le Mans, Bourbonnais, Guyenne, and Artois. In the south of France they held a family seat in the region of Languedoc at Puylaroque.

Joseph Lavigne, son of Pierre and Jeanne (née Gazaille), settled in Contrecoeur, Quebec and married Marie-Anne Gareau on 12th November 1727. 2

Early History of the Lavin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lavin research. More information is included under the topic Early Lavin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lavin Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Lavigne, Levine, Levin, Levigne, Levigny, Laveine, Lavignes, Lavene, Des Vignes, deVigne, Devignes, Devigne, De lavigne and many more.

Early Notables of the Lavin family

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

Lavin Ranking

In the United States, the name Lavin is the 6,396^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Lavin migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec, in 1663 there were only 500, 2,000 migrants arrived during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. Migration from France to New France or Quebec as it was now more popularly called, continued from France until it fell in 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many distinguished contributions have been made by members of this family name Lavin. It has been prominent in the arts, religion, politics and culture in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Lavin were

Lavin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lawrence Lavin, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1812 4
Jose Ramon Lavin, aged 14, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1831 4
Patrick Lavin, who landed in Maryland in 1843 4
Anthony Lavin, who settled in Philadelphia in 1847
J Lavin, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lavin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Agnes Lavin, aged 8, who landed in America from Swinford, in 1900
Andrew Lavin, aged 27, who settled in America from Kiltimagh, Ireland, in 1913
Agnes Lavin, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Ballymote, Ireland, in 1913
Angel Lavin, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1917

Lavin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lavin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Eliza Lavin, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick from the port of Derry in 1847
Mr. Henry Lavin who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Aberdeen" departing 1st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 13th June 1847 but he died on board 5
Mrs. Mary Lavin, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Bolton" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Miss. Mary Lavin, aged 6 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "John Bolton" departing 13th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but she died on board 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Lavin (post 1700) +

Linda Lavin (1937-2024), American three Drama Desk Award, two Golden Globe Award, two Obie Award and Tony award winning television and stage actress born in Portland, Maine
Cinzi Lavin (b. 1967), American award-winning creator and producer of several full-length original musical dramas, novels, and numerous theatrical works
Leonard H. Lavin (1919-2017), American businessman, racehorse owner and breeder, and philanthropist, founder of the Alberto-Culver Company
Franklin "Frank" Lavin, American Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade (2005 to 2007)
Steve Lavin (b. 1964), American basketball coach and former player
Mary Lavin (1912-1996), American-born Irish writer
Steve Lavin, American Republican politician, Member of Montana State House of Representatives 8th District; Elected 2010 6
James M. Lavin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New Hampshire, 1900, 1904 6
Franklin L. Lavin (b. 1957), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore, 2001-05 6
Erma I. Lavin, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1972 6
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Lavin 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: Manco-capac

Sources +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. 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. 83)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html