This unusual name is of Welsh origin, and is a patronymic form of the personal name Evan, itself the Welsh form of "John". Bavin, and the other variant patronymic forms such as Bevan, Beven and Beavan, are composed of the Welsh prefix "ap" or "ab", meaning "son of" with Evan, the prefix having become fused with the personal name over a period of time. "John" is itself from the Hebrew name "Yochanan", meaning "the Lord is gracious", adopted into Latin as "Johannes" and subsequently a very popular personal name in Europe throughout the Christian era. The surname itself first appears in the late 13th Century (see below), while Howel ap Evan is recorded in the Rolls of Parliament in 1300. Ann, daughter of Richard Bevan, was christened on November 26th 1579, at Ludlow in Shropshire, and the christening of Anne, daughter of John and Elizabeth Baven, occurred on March 4th 1733, at Abrighton by Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The marriage between Christopher Bavin and Jane James was recorded on March 18th 1674 at St. Mary's Church, Marylebone, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Edenevet ap Lenan, which was dated 1287, witness in the "Assize Court Rolls of Cheshire", during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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