This interesting surname is derived from the pet name "Pav", itself coming from the medieval female personal name "Pavia", which may be from the old French "Pavie", meaning peach, plus the diminutive suffix "-in". The female personal name existed in the 13th Century as is evidenced by the following quote from "Valor Ecclesiasticus", for Cumberland. "In the 12th year of King Henry 111 (1228), Radulph, the son of the said William de Bochardy entered to the seignory. His sisters Alice, Pavy and Agnes were his heirs. The name is widespread in Yorkshire, Vincent, son of Vincent Parvin, was christened at Leake, Yorkshire on January 24th 1601, while Thomasin, daughter of Thomas Parvin was also christened at the same place on November 1st 1602. Elizabeth Pavin married John Taylor on February 19th 1620, at Kings Cliffe, Northampton. At St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, London, Elizabeth, daughter of Paul and Elizabeth Purvins, was christened on August 15th 1643. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Thomas Parvin, which was dated 1598, Marriage ceremony in Church Records at Leake, Yorkshire, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.