Nevin Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Nevin last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Nevin last name
Meaning of the Nevin last name: son of Cnáimhín ("little bone"). The Nevin surname comes from Gaelic Mac Cnáimhín, "son of Cnáimhín", a pet name that means "little bone". The family was an old one in County Galway, and in Ulster the last name was also brought by Scottish settlers. A curious detail of this family name meaning: the Galway Nevins were known as hereditary poets and physicians, learned trades often passed from father to son in Gaelic Ireland.
Arms associated with the Nevin name
Irish heraldry often features animals, hands and trees drawn from old stories, and coats of arms associated with the Nevin surname belong to that tradition.
Get your full Nevin family history
This is only a glimpse of the Nevin story. The full Nevin history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Nevin coat of arms. Get the full Nevin report.
Nevin name FAQ
What does the Nevin name mean?
Son of Cnáimhín ("little bone"). Common variants include Navin, Nevins, MacNevin.
Where does the Nevin surname come from?
It originates in Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and England.
Is there a Nevin coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Nevin coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).