Evans (surname)
Evans | |
---|---|
Family name | |
Meaning | "Son of Evan" |
Region of origin | Wales |
Evans is a family name of Welsh, and possibly Cornish,[1][2] origin. Within Wales it is the fifth most common surname and is the tenth most common in England.[3] Within the United States, it is ranked as the 48th-most common surname.[4]
Origin
Evans is of Welsh origin. In its anglicised form the name means "son of Evan". Regarding its Welsh roots, it is a derivative of the name Ifan, a cognate of John.[5] In the Welsh language, the f produces the v sound; Ifan (Ivan) became Evan.
In the Welsh language the patronymic "ab Evan" resulted in the anglicized surname "Bevan", which is also common in Wales.
Notable persons named Evans
References
- ↑ George Pawley White. A handbook of Cornish surnames
- ↑ "Cornish surnames E". Freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
- ↑ "Campbell Surname Meaning and Distribution". forebears.co.uk. Retrieved 21 January 2014
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau; "Frequently Occurring First Names and Surnames From the 1990 Census, (Table) Name Files dist.all.last"; published May 9, 1995; <http://www.census.gov/genealogy/names/dist.all.last>
- ↑ About.com; "Genealogy: Name Meaning and Origin"; http://genealogy.about.com/library/surnames/e/bl_name-EVANS.htm; retrieved August 9, 2006