Cavie
One-Name Study

Topics

• About the Cavie One-Name Study
• Variants
• Origin of the surname
• Distribution of the name
• Data
• Links
• Contact Details

About the Cavie One-Name Study

The Cavie One-Name Study began when attempting to resolve two problems with my ancestors. My great-grandfather Sydney Ernest Cavie went off to the Boar War as a civilian saddler and never returned, his fate unknown. I could not find the marriage of his grandfather William Cavie to Jane, his grandmother. The project was registered with the Guild in 1998. The problems remain unsolved!

Variants

Cavey is a more common modern variant. Cavy, Cavye, Caveye, Cavay and Kavey are rarer and in most cases archaic variants. Modern Cavaye is not a variant but a distinct Scottish family with their own society but not registered with the Guild.

Origin of the surname

The Cavie and Cavey families in the 1881 census had at least three origins. Some were descended from those who had been in England at least from the 16th century. The origin of the name here is uncertain, a local variant of Cave cannot be ruled out. A second group were of Irish origin, Cavey possibly being an anglicised version of a Gaelic name (McDavy) or a locative. Those in Jersey were of French origin. The OED defines cavie as Scottish derived from Dutch meaning hen coup. Cavie as an alternative to Guinea Pig derives from the Latin name Cavia porcellus. The phrase ‘to keep cavey’ derives from the Latin ‘cave’ meaning beware which was shouted out by the one on watch when someone approached. None of these seem connected with the name.

Distribution of the name

The English Cavies and Caveys were and are concentrated in the South East, particularly Kent and Sussex. Most of those currently spelling the name Cavie are descended from my ancestor William of Tunbridge Wells. There are sporadic occurrences of the name for example in East Midlands, West Country and Wiltshire/ Berkshire at least one of which is a variant of Carvey. The Caveys of Irish origin tend to concentrated in NW England. Most of the USA Caveys are probably of Irish origin.

Data

BMDs E & W from 1837, some censuses E & W, probate PCC and NPC from 1858, some PR. Please contact me.

Links

The Cavey Family Worldwide Society

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Dr Colin H Stevenson
E-mail:

This page last updated 25 February 2008.

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