
 
Colvin Fountain
Moffat, Scotland

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THE MEANING OF THE SURNAME "COLVIN":
The name of COLVIN is said by some historians to be of ancient Anglo-Saxon
origin and derived from one "Colvin" or "Colvinus," who was a
"tenant-in-chief," of Devonshire, England, in the early eleventh century. It
was first used as a personal or baptismal name by the sons of the before
mentioned Colvin or Colvinus. Some insist, however, that the name is
Scottish in origin. More recent scholarship[ points to a Norman origin
derived from "de Colleville." Guillaume de Colleville and Gilbert de
Colleville were both knights who served in William the Conqueror's invasion
forces, thought it is not clear that these de Collevilles are related to the
Colvins. At any rate, the names are closely associated. An American example
may be found at Colvin's Mill in Virginia. The original mill was established
by a Coleville in the 1700's, but the name was changed to "Colvin" sometime
later. In the ancient British and early American records the name is found
in the various forms of Colven, Colvine, Colvyne, Colwyne, Colwin, Colvan,
and Colvin. The last mentioned spelling is the most generally used in
American today.
In England, the Colvins resided chiefly in Devon (the same area from which
the Deatons came), but later settled in London before the beginning of the
eighteenth century. Of this line, a certain Jane Colvin was married at St.
James, Clerkenwell, in 1733 to Thomas Brewer.
Elsdon C. Smith, author of "New Dictionary of American and Family Names,"
reports that the name "Colvin is of Scottish and Irish descent and means
"bold or great hero... The name also refers to one who came for Collerville
in Normandy... a descendent of Ceolevine (ship, friend)."
The Colvin
Fountain, Moffat, Scotland
The
Colvin Family Page
The Colvin
Family Page II
Colvin
Resources on Rootsweb
Michael O. Colvin
Website, "Decendants of James Colvin, Sr." - My Immigrant Ancestor
Roots Web
US Geneology Project Web
My Family / Ancestry.com
The Colvin Family
"Roxburgh District" Tartan Plaid
The Colvin Clan Badge
Books
About Colvin Families
Family Tree Maker by
Broderbund Software
Family Tree Maker Genealogy Gateway
To The WebTM
Wes's Family Tree Maker
Web Page
Family Tree House
Software Home Page
Directory of
Irish Sites
Rosenberger
& Boehmer Genealogy Homepage
Historic Albemarle
County NC
Descendants
of William H. Forsythe (Colvin's in Kentucky)
The Divine Covenant
Expanded Homepage - Alex Colvin
Family
Names (Colvin) and What they Mean
Family
Chronicle Surname Origin List A-E
Irish Names and Family Clans
See where the Colvin's live.
Baird Family Geneology
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