Surname Ervine - Meaning and Origin

Ervine: What does the surname Ervine mean?

Ervine is an Irish surname, deriving from the surname 'Irvine' which is an anglicized form of the Irish name 'Ó hEarcháin' – 'o' meaning 'grandson or male descendant of' and 'hEarachain' from 'earach' which means 'emigrant'.

The surname is thought to be descended from a man named Erez, ancestor to the most ancient of the Irish clans in Antrim and Down. He was a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages, a legendary figure supposed to be one of the earliest high kings of Ireland. His descendants moved to the territories of Dál Riata in medieval times, an area which is now known as the Scottish lowlands, giving origin to the Irish and Scottish branches of the Ervine name.

The origin of the name gives an indication of the history that those who carry the name have had. It speaks of ancient ancestry connecting to the earliest of Irish high kings as well as reference to a familial journey to Scotland, either through war or immigration. The Ervine name is thought to represent a family with a proud and interesting past, one of bravery and of overcoming challenge.

Ervine: Where does the name Ervine come from?

The last name Ervine is of Scottish Lowland origin. It is most common today in Northern Ireland, especially in the counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, and Tyrone. The name was derived from the villages of Ayr and Inverness, both located on the east coast of Scotland. The first recorded use of the surname was in 1392 by John Ervine.

Ervine is also common throughout the British Isles, including England, Scotland, and Wales. It is thought to be derived from the Gaelic language of the Highlands and can also be found in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries populated by those descended from British immigrants. It is believed to be derived from old English and Irish terms meaning "the town of the Boar" or "at the boar's river".

Ervine is an uncommon name making up less than 1/1000 of the British population and even less than 1/100 of the population in Northern Ireland. Although it is an uncommon name, there are still some people with the Ervine surname living in small towns and villages in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain.

Variations of the surname Ervine

The Ervine surname is a variation of the Irish surname Irwin. Though the surnames Ervine and Irwin are phonetically quite similar, there are slight spelling differences between the two that help to internally differentiate them from one another. The Ervine surname eliminates the "a" seen in the Irwin surname, as well as adding the additional letter "e" to the end of the surname. Other variants of the Ervine surname include Erwin, Irvin, Ervin, Erwinn, and Erwinnn.

The Ervine surname also has multiple spellings with somewhat different origins, all of which are variations on the Irwin surname. Erwin and Ervin can both be variants of Irwin with the same meaning, while Irvin can also be a variant of Ervin. Erwinn, Erwinnn, and Irving can also be variants of Irwin with the same basic origin.

Those of the Ervine surname can also refer to themselves by a variety of surnames that are interconnected to their original surname, such as: Irvine, Irwine, Ervines, and Irving.

In conclusion, Ervine is a surname of Irish origin with many variants, spellings and related surnames. Variants of Ervine include Erwin, Ervin, Irvin, Erwinn, Erwinnn, Irving, Irvine, Irwine, Ervines, and Irving.

Famous people with the name Ervine

• Kevin Ervine: An Irish cricketer who has represented his country in both Test and One Day International matches.
• Stanely Ervine: A musician who was active in the early 1970s as lead guitarist with David Gilmour’s first band, Jokers Wild.
• Jonathan Ervine: A Northern Irish actor who starred as Ivan Little in the hit Channel 4 TV comedy series Derry Girls.
• Sam Ervine: An Australian musician and radio presenter who hosted shows for local radio stations in New South Wales and Queensland.
• John Ervine: A playwright and theatre director from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
• Martha Ervine: A well-known footballer and coach from Northern Ireland who has held high positions within the Irish and British Football Associations.
• Jack Ervine: A British actor who started his career in his early twenties in the BBC’s Casualty. Afterwards, he moved to the stage and become an established big-screen actor.
• Jean Ervine: A costume designer who’s well-known for her work on the popular TV series Midsomer Murders.
• J.B. Ervine: A former emergency medical doctor who worked as a faculty member in several medical schools throughout the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries.
• A.L.Ervine: An English travel writer and journalist who’s been credited with popularizing the genre of travel literature in the early 20th century.

Other surnames

Ervin