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Irish surname

Garvin: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Gairbhín (also Ó Garbháin) · 'descendant of Gairbhín' (diminutive of garbh, rough)

Woulfe (1923) gives Garvin as an anglicised form of Ó Gairbhín, 'descendant of Gairbhín' (diminutive of garbh, rough), a variant of Ó Garbháin. He describes Ó Garbháin as the name of a family of the southern Ui Neill, formerly seated in Meath, 'but now found chiefly in Sligo and Cork'. Matheson (1909) records 5 Garvin birth entries in Ireland for 1890.

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Coat of arms associated with the Garvin surname
Irish formÓ Gairbhín (also Ó Garbháin)
Meaning'descendant of Gairbhín' (diminutive of garbh, rough)
CountiesSligo, Cork
Other spellings3
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Origin of the Garvin name

Woulfe: Ó Garbháin, 'descendant of Garbhán' (diminutive of garbh, rough), is the name of a family of the southern Ui Neill, formerly seated in Meath, 'but now found chiefly in Sligo and Cork'. Ó Gairbhín is a variant of it.[2]

  1. 1022Four Masters: Cathasach Ua Garbhain, lector of Cluain-mic-Nois, dies.[6]
  2. 1030Four Masters: Tuathal O'Garbhain, Bishop of Cill-Chuilinn, is recorded.[7]
  3. 18905 Garvin birth entries in Ireland: Connaught 4, Ulster 1.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. SligoWoulfe: the Ó Garbháin family 'now found chiefly in Sligo and Cork'.[2]
Co. CorkWoulfe: the Ó Garbháin family 'now found chiefly in Sligo and Cork'.[2]

Other spellings

Garven · Garwin · Garavin[1][2][4]

The Garvin coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Garvin surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Garvin surname: questions

What does the surname Garvin mean?

Woulfe gives Garvin as a form of Ó Gairbhín, 'descendant of Gairbhín', a diminutive of garbh, meaning rough.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Garvin name from?

Woulfe describes Ó Garbháin as a family of the southern Ui Neill, formerly seated in Meath and now found chiefly in Sligo and Cork. He notes that in Mayo, where the name is very common, it is always anglicised Garvey.[1][2]

Is Garvin the same as Garvey?

Woulfe prints (Garvey) in brackets in the forms list under Ó Gairbhín, and says that in Mayo the name is always anglicised Garvey, which 'would seem to indicate that the original form in that county was Ó Gairbhithín'. Matheson's 1901 list prints each name in brackets under the other, meaning they were found used interchangeably in registration records; it does not say they are the same name.[1][4][5]

Sources

  1. Ó Gairbhín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-gairbhin.php
  2. Ó Garbháin — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/og/o-garbhain.php
  3. Garvin — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/garvin.php
  4. Garvin — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/678.php
  5. Garvey — Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1901), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/varieties/list/677.php
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1022 (part 12) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text012.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan), 1030 (part 13) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text013.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).