Evans Surname Meaning and Family History

Evans is a patronymic surname meaning "son of Evan." The given name Evan derives from the Welsh name Ifan, a cognate of John, meaning "gracious gift of Jehovah."

Within the United Kingdom, Evans is the 8th most common surname, being most common in the city of Swansea, Wales. It is ranked as the 48th most common surname in the United States.

Surname Origin: Welsh

Alternate Surname Spellings: EVINS, EVENS, EVAN, EVIAN

Famous People with the Evans Surname

• Walker Evans - American photographer
• Arthur Evans - English archaeologist and curator
• Lee Evans - African-American track-and-field great
• Edith Evans - English stage and screen actress
• Michael Evans - British stage and screen actor

Where is the Evans Surname Most Common?

The Evans surname is the 656th most common surname in the United States, according to surname distribution data from Forebears. The name is especially numerous in North and South Wales and in the adjacent English counties of Shropshire and Monmouth. Evans ranks as the 5th most common surname in Wales, the 10th in England, the 20th in Australia and the 47th in the United States.

Read More

Owen Surname Meaning and Family History

By Kimberly Powell

Surname distribution maps from WorldNames PublicProfiler also demonstrate the popularity of the Evans surname in Wales and England, followed by Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States (especially Georgia, Mississippi, and Utah).

Genealogy Resources for the Surname Evans

100 Most Common U.S. Surnames & Their Meanings
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?

Evans Family Crest - It's Not What You Think
Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as an Evans family crest or coat of arms for the Evans surname. Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.

Evans DNA Project
More than 570 members have joined this project for the Evans surname (and variants) to work together to find their common heritage through DNA testing and sharing of information.

Evans Family Genealogy Forum
This free message board is focused on descendants of Evans ancestors around the world. Search the forum for posts about your Evans ancestors, or join the forum and post your own queries. 

FamilySearch
Explore over 9.7 million results from digitized historical records and lineage-linked family trees related to the Evans surname on this free website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

GeneaNet - Evans Records
GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Evans surname, with a concentration on records and families from France and other European countries.

The Evans Genealogy and Family Tree Page
Browse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the Evans surname from the website of Genealogy Today.

Sources

Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.

Dorward, David. Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.

Fucilla, Joseph. Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.

Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.

Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.

Reaney, P.H. A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.

Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Glossary of Surname Meanings & Origins