TRELEAVEN
Treleaven is a surname of Cornish origin, derived from the Cornish words tre, meaning “homestead” or “settlement”, and leaven, which denotes an “elm tree”. Consequently, the surname may be understood to signify “dweller by the elm‑tree settlement” or “one who comes from the place of elm trees”.
The name is locational, and historical records attest to several variants, including Treleven, Treliveing and Trelevan. These spellings reflect a number of distinct sources of origination. Many places, even individual farms, in Cornwall bear names derived from the ancient tre leven, meaning “the house or homestead on level ground”, or, in other instances, “the homes of Leven”, with Leven being an original personal name that predates the introduction of surnames.
Church registers in Cornwall, the earliest of which survive from the year 1600, record the surname in its various forms amongst the first, and most frequently used, names of that period. While early land charters in Cornwall are believed to contain the name, these documents usually remain unpublished and are therefore not readily accessible. Nonetheless, a substantial body of evidence confirms the surname’s presence across the county, with its epicentre situated in mid‑Cornwall, specifically Lanlivery Rural Parish.
Notable early examples include John Treleven of Padstow, registered on 9 May 1605; Grace Trelevan of Lostwithiel, 21 September 1610; and Agnes Treleaven of Lanlivery Rural parish, the daughter of Thomas Treleaven, christened there on 2 September 1621. Further witnesses appear in later records, such as Catherine Treleven, who was christened at Botus Fleming on 13 October 1664, and Robart Treliveing, a witness at Landulph church on 2 March 1696.
The earliest surviving spelling of the family name is attributed to Thomas Treleven, whose signature appears on a witness list dated 3 March 1602 in Lanlivery church, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was commonly known as the “Good Queen Bess” (1558–1603). This document establishes a documented line of the surname that extends back over four centuries, demonstrating its long-standing association with Cornwall’s historical landscape.
Typical given names associated with the Treleaven surname
Male
- Anthony
- Benjamin
- David
- Ian
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Mike
- Philip
- Timothy
- William
Female
- Amanda
- Clare
- Gillian
- Hazel
- Jacqueline
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Kate
- Michelle
- Natasha
- Rita
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Treleaven in...
Braille
⠞⠗⠑⠇⠑⠁⠧⠑⠝
Morse
-.-...-....-...-.-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 323 people named Treleaven in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around five in a million people in Britain are named Treleaven.
