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Scroll down past the History of the Name for a list of names in this family group.

Origin / History  of the Govier Name

Govier is an unusual and relatively rare English surname that, given appropriate pronunciation, has an intriguingly continental flavour.  This gives rise to the popular idea that original bearers of the Gov(i)er name were French, and that they came over with the Huguenots in the early 1600's.  However, there is little evidence to support this suggestion, and in his book 'Dictionary of British Surnames' Rearney discounts this interesting and romantic idea.  Here he states that Gov(i)er is one of a small select group of surnames which is actually descriptive of a person's abilities.  It derives from the old English nickname of 'Gofair' from Middle English 'go(n)' - to go +fair, lovely or quiet(ly, and describes a messenger, or possibly a spy, one who was able to move easily, or to use gentle, persuasive methods to obtain results.  The spelling 'Govier' is specifically South Western, from the Taunton-Exeter region, this is almost certainly of a local dialec.  Gafair, Gangefeyr, and Gouyere are variants of the name.

Coat of Arms / Crest
A Coat of Arms is bestowed upon individuals, not families.  They are not transferable, but may be handed down and derived by family members.

A blue shield with a silver satire with five guttes de sang.

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