McNiven

McNiven
Recorded in a wide range of spellings including Niven, Nevin, Nevins, and Nevinson, this is usually a surname of Scottish origins, but is equally well recorded in Ireland. However spelt the surname has two origins, both Gaelic. Firstly it may be a form of the ancient Gaelic personal name "Naoimhin", a diminutive form of "naomh", and translating as 'Little saint'. Whether this was the literal meaning is another question, but clearly it in the early days a baptismal name of endearment. Secondly, it could originate from "Mac Cnaimhin", with "Mac", meaning "son of" and "Cnamh", a bone. As such it was apparently a nickname referrence to the first chief of the clan who was a "bony man". It is said that in Scotland the name was first recorded in Galloway in the year 1230 when one Nevinus was the parson of Neveth, whilst later in 1296 Patrick Nevin rendered homage to the short lived republican government of Scotland. In Ireland it is claimed that the name originated in County Galway, about the same period, and is now widespread throughout the country, mostly without the "Mac" prefix. Early examples of the surname recordings include Thomas Nevin, who was the official messenger for the king of Scotland in 1538, whilst the Nevins or Nevins of Monkredding held their lands by charter from 1539. Other recordings include: the marriage of James McNiven to Ann Casey on March 30th 1769 at St. James' church, Westminster, and the christening of Michael, the son of John Phillip and Fannie McNevin, on December 29th 1840, in Dublin. Among the famous namebearers is Baron McNevin (1723 - 1790), who emigrated to Austria, and was physician to the Empress Maria Theresa. The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that of John McNevin. This was dated 1159, in the "Ancient Records of Ireland", during the reign of Irish High Kings with opposition, 1022 - 1166. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • McNiven — is a Scottish surname. The name is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic Mac Naoimhín, which is patronymic form of a personal name with the element naomh meaning saint .[1][2] Surname Daniel McNiven David McNiven (disambiguation), several people David… …   Wikipedia

  • McNiven Farm Complex — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • David McNiven (footballer born 1978) — David McNiven Personal information Full name David Jonathan McNiven Date of birth 27 May 1978 ( …   Wikipedia

  • John G. McNiven — John Graham Jock McNiven was a mine engineer, mine operator and politician from the Northwest Territories, Canada.McNiven was a 1923 graduate of the University of Toronto (M.Sc. in Mining Engineering) and worked for several years in mining camps… …   Wikipedia

  • Steve McNiven — Steven Steve McNiven is a Canadian comic book artist. He first came into prominence after he took over as a penciller of CrossGen s Meridian title following the departure of Josh Middleton. Later, he gained more fame working for Marvel Comics as… …   Wikipedia

  • Scott McNiven — Football player infobox playername = Scott McNiven fullname = Scott Andrew McNiven nickname = height = height|ft=5|in=10 dateofbirth = birth date and age|1978|5|27 cityofbirth = Leeds countryofbirth = England currentclub = Fylde clubnumber =… …   Wikipedia

  • Daniel McNiven — Personal information Full name Daniel McNiven Place of birth Scotland …   Wikipedia

  • Donald McNiven — Member of Parliament for Regina City In office October 1935 – October 1944 Personal details Born Donald Alexander McNiven 23 June 1887(1887 06 23) Walkerton, Ontario …   Wikipedia

  • Julie McNiven — en 2011, au Dragon Con de la série Stargate Universe. Données clés Nom de naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Julie McNiven — (2009) Julie McNiven (* 11. Oktober 1980 in Amherst, Massachusetts) ist eine US amerikanische Schauspielerin. Ihren ersten Filmauftritt hatte McNiven 1997 in einer kleinen Nebenrolle im Horrorfilm Old Man Dogs. In den folgenden Jahren war sie… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”