Governey Surname

2,555,468th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 57 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Ireland
Highest density in:
Ireland

Governey Surname Definition:

This name is now associated with Carlow and a century ago was found in small numbers in Co.

Leix. Its origin has not been finally determined. I do not think Woulfe's tentative suggestion that it may be a corrupt form of Coveney * can be accepted.

Read More About This Surname

Governey Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland491:96,1015,242
United States41:90,614,7331,198,479
England31:18,572,686338,250
Belgium11:11,496,644167,539
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland81:553,73317,655
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States21:25,109,342694,541

Governey Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This name is now associated with Carlow and a century ago was found in small numbers in Co.

Leix. Its origin has not been finally determined. I do not think Woulfe's tentative suggestion that it may be a corrupt form of Coveney * can be accepted. A more probable origin is the Huguenot name Gouvernet. In this connexion, however, it must be observed that the Governeys of the present day are nearly all Catholics: as a rule Huguenot families have remained for the most part Protestant.

*In More Irish Families (p. 153) the Gaelic Irish form of Coveney is given as Ó Coibheanaigh; it is also, and more correctly, Mac Coibheanaigh. The older spelling is Coibhdheanaigh.

Supplement to Irish Families (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Now associated with Carlow, formerly Co.

Leix. Its origin is uncertain. Its equation with Coveney cannot be accepted. It may be from the Huguenot Gouvernet. SIF 82

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Governey Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Governey Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Governey occurs more in Ireland more than any other country or territory. It may appear in the variant forms:. For other possible spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Governey? popularity and diffusion

It is the 2,555,468th most frequently used surname world-wide, held by around 1 in 127,851,683 people. The surname occurs mostly in Europe, where 93 percent of Governey live; 91 percent live in Northern Europe and 91 percent live in British Isles.

The last name is most frequently occurring in Ireland, where it is held by 49 people, or 1 in 96,101. In Ireland Governey is mostly concentrated in: Leinster, where 100 percent reside. Aside from Ireland Governey occurs in 3 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 7 percent reside and England, where 5 percent reside.

Governey Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Governey has changed through the years. In Ireland the number of people who held the Governey last name increased 613 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in The United States it increased 200 percent between 1880 and 2014.

Governey Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the last name is primarily Catholic (100%) in Ireland.

Phonetically Similar Names

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Governey
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis