Evans History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Evans is a patronymic surname created from the Welsh personal name Lefan, or Evan, which is a cognate of the personal name John. [1] [2]

Early Origins of the Evans family

The surname Evans was first found in Herefordshire. 

“Exceedingly numerous in North and South Wales and in the adjacent English counties of Shropshire and Monmouth. Thence it has spread, but in rapidly diminishing numbers to the midland counties and to the south – west of England. It is absent or singularly rare in the northern counties, a line from the Humber to the Mersey sharply defining its northward extension. Not one of the coast counties, from Norfolk round to the borders of Devon, is represented in my list.” [3]

Early records of the family are scarce, but we did find Howell ap Yevan in the Rolls of Parliament and David ap Evan in the Calendar of Proceedings in Chancery, temp. Elizabeth I. [4]

Later, John Evens was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1568 and John Evans was a Freeman of York in 1679. Jaraes Hevens was found in Suffolk in 1674. [5]

Early History of the Evans family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Evans research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1050, 1632, 1080, 1607, 1660, 1645, 1679, 1630, 1702, 1720, 1693, 1734, 1723, 1715, 1680, 1749 and are included under the topic Early Evans History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Evans Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual’s specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Evans have included Evans, Evan, Evance, Evands, Evanson, Evason, Evens, Evenson and many more.

Early Notables of the Evans family (pre 1700)

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Rhirid Flaith a descendant in the Evans line about 1080; Arise Evans (or Rhys or Rice Evans) (1607-1660), a Welsh prophet and fanatic; Saint Philip Evans (1645-1679), Welsh priest, declared guilty of treason and executed, one of The Forty Martyrs of England and Wales; George Evans, D.D. (1630?-1702)… 
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Evans Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Evans World Ranking

In the United States, the name Evans is the 48^th most popular surname with an estimated 350,667 people with that name. [6] However, in Canada, the name Evans is ranked the 96^thmost popular surname with an estimated 28,449 people with that name. [7] And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Evans is the 89^th popular surname with an estimated 338 people with that name. [8] France ranks Evans as 7,462^nd with 1,000 – 1,500 people. [9] Australiaranks Evans as 22^nd with 52,100 people. [10] New Zealand ranks Evans as 46^th with 5,361 people. [11] The United Kingdom ranks Evans as 7^th with 181,541 people. [12]

 Migration of the Evans family to Ireland

Some of the Evans family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 110 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

 Evans migration to the United States +

North America in the 1800s and 1900s saw the arrival of many Welsh people hoping to share in the wealth of land, work, and freedom that they felt North America held. Those who made the journey often attained those expectations, but only through an enormous amount of hard work, perseverance, and often a bout of good luck. These immigrants helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and culture of both Canada and the United States. Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Evans: 

Evans Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Richard Evans, aged 35, who arrived in Virginia in 1618 aboard the ship “Neptune” [13]
• Thomas Evans, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 [13]
• Christo Evans, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 [13]
• Lawrence Evans, aged 15, who landed in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship “James” [13]
• Marke Evans, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 [13]
• … (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)