Contents [hide]

Navin History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Navin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Navin

What does the name Navin mean?

The chronicles of the Navin family show that the name was first used in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for a person who lived in Ayrshire. The surname Navin was also regarded as derived from the Gaelic patronymic Mac Naoimhin, which is derived from the word "naomh," meaning "little saint." The name was a favorite personal name in Galloway and Ayrshire. 1 2

Another source claims the name "points to an early but forgotten personal name," 3 but the lion's share of sources point to the aforementioned "little saint" origin.

Early Origins of the Navin family

The surname Navin was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, where the first record of the family appeared in the Latin form Nevinus, who was parson of Neveth and witnessed grant of a saltpan in Rosneath to the monks of Paisley, c. 1230. 1

"Patrick filius Nevyn mentioned in 1284 is doubtless Patrick fiz John Nevyn or Neivin of Lanerkshire who rendered homage, 1296. Thomas filius Neuini served on an inquest in 1295, another Thomas filius Nyuini or Niuini was a tenant in Garvalde, 1376, and Crunyhatoun was leased to Robert filius Niuini in the same year." 1

Some of the family ventured south into England where as a forename Neuyn filius Ade was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Cumberland in 1332 and Thomas filius Neuini was listed in 1295. 4

Early History of the Navin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Navin research. Another 372 words (27 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1230, 1296, 1386, 1400, 1538, 1539, 1590, 1594, 1634, 1635, 1639, 1650, 1675, 1680, 1684, 1686, 1695, 1700, 1703, 1707, 1711, 1715, 1720, 1721, 1722, 1725, 1744 and 1793 are included under the topic Early Navin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Navin Spelling Variations

The origin of rules governing the spelling of names and even words is a very recent innovation. Before that, words and names were spelled according to sound, and, therefore, often appeared under several different spelling variations in a single document. Navin has been spelled Niven, Nevin, Nevins, Nivens, Navin, Newin, Nevane, Niffen, Nifen, Niving, Neving, Newing, Neiven, Nivine, Nevison, Niveson and many more.

Early Notables of the Navin family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Kate McNiven (died 1715), also called Kate Nevin, a young nurse who served the House of Inchbrakie in the Parish of Monzie, near Crieff in Scotland in the early 1700s, she was one of the...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Navin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Navin family to Ireland

Some of the Navin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 221 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Navin migration to the United States +

The persecution faced in their homeland left many Scots with little to do but sail for the colonies of North America. There they found land, freedom, opportunity, and nations in the making. They fought for their freedom in the American War of Independence, or traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In both cases, they made enormous contributions to the formation of those great nations. Among them:

Navin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Patrick Navin, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1777 5

Navin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Navin Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Martin Navin who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing 11th July 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 20th August 1847 but he died on board 6

Navin migration to Australia +

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

Navin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Margaret Navin, (b. 1805), aged 24, Irish servant who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Eliza Navin, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"

Navin 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:

Navin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Navin, Scottish settler travelling from Leith aboard the ship 'Melbourne' arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 18th March 1861 8
Mr. Navin, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Trevelyan" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 28th March 1874 9
Alexander Navin, aged 29, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Navin (post 1700) +

Richard J. Navin (1934-2006), American academic and educator
John P. Navin Jr. (b. 1968), American film and television actor
Francis Joseph Navin (1871-1935), American principal owner of the Detroit Tigers in Major League Baseball for 27 years
Thomas J. Navin, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1903-07 10
Thomas J. Navin, American politician, Mayor of Adrian, Michigan, 1881-82. Absconded after forging city bonds; Arrested in El Paso, Texas 10
Alireza Navin (b. 1961), the current Mayor of Tabriz, Iran
Navin Barot, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Indiana, 2008 11

The Navin 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: Vivis sperandum
Motto Translation: Where there is life there is hope

Sources +

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)
MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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. 91)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html