Corvin
The name Corvin comes from the Latin name Corvinus which derives from the Latin word corvus meaning raven, although the word today refers to the birds' genus including ravens and crows among others.
Corvin most commonly is a surname, but it and its variations are being used as a given name as well. As a surname it can refer to:
- Marcus Valerius Corvus (c. 370 – c. 270 BC), an important military commander and politician. Considered a hero in the Roman Republic, of the Patrician gens Valeria, and unconfirmed founder of gens Corvin/Corvinus;
- Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus (64 BC – 8 AD), a Roman general, author, patron of literature and art. Descendant of Marcus Valerius Corvus and the legendary ancestor of Hungarian Royalty;
- Hunyadi family, a Hungarian noble family that is also referred to as the Corvin or Corvinus family. Mentions of the Corvin or Corvinus coat of arms in historical documents refer to the one of House Hunyadi;
- Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, one of the most famous Hungarian rulers, also known as Mátyás Hunyadi or Matei Corvin, known as King Matthias the Just, and represents in tales and folklore the ideal ruler;
- János Corvinus (John Corvinus; 1473-1504), a Hungarian politician, illegitimate son of Matthias Corvinus;
- Michael Corvin, a fictional character from the Underworld films, portrayed by Scott Speedman. The character is hinted at being related to King Matthias the Just of Hungary, which would make him a fictional claimant to the crown of the Kingdom of Hungary;
- Ion Corvin, which refers to either Ion Corvin, Constanța, a commune in Constanţa County, Romania, or to John Hunyadi, Voivode of Transylvania, captain-general and regent of the Kingdom of Hungary (Ion Corvin is a Romanian variant of his name);
- Otto von Corvin (1812-1886), a German author;
and others.
As a given name its most common variations are Corvan, Korvin and Korwin and their English equivalent Raven.
There is also a Corvin River. Hundreds of streets, schools, museums, hotels, etc. are named after King Matthias Corvinus in the current territory of Hungary and also in the former territory of the Kingdom of Hungary, which bear the name Corvin or Corvinus.
The surname Corvin in Ireland, also transcribed as Corvan, Corravan and others, is a corruption of the Irish (Gaelic) name O Corra Ban, part of the O Corra (in English Corr) sept or sub-clan. "Corr" means odd, singular, while the addition of "Ban" means white. The Corr sept fell under the authority of the O Neill clan. The O Corra Bans were concentrated in County Armagh where versions of the name are still most commonly found. Following political and religious unrest in Armagh in the 1790s, there was a migration of numbers of Catholic families from the county, including a number of Corvins or Corvans.