King History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the King surname date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from an early member of the family who was a person who lived and acted like a king. It is derived from the Old English cyning or cyng, meaning “king,” and was probably first bestowed as a nickname upon someone who was kingly in personality or appearance, or perhaps to someone who had played the king in a pageant.

As one source notes, it is curious that the name “Queen” is not as popular as it should be given the similar importance of the title in ancient times. [1]

Early Origins of the King family

The surname King was first found in Devon, where the name was first found about 1050. [2]Geoffrey King brought the name to Cheshire in 1177 and by 1273 John King had established lands and estates in the county of Norfolk as evidenced by John le Kyng who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of Norfolk at that time. The Hundredorum Rolls also lists Walter le Kyng in Cambridgeshire. [1]

Regional distribution of the name is interesting. “Mostly confined south of a line drawn from the Wash to the southern border of Shropshire. North of this line the name rapidly diminishes in frequency, being absent from my list in nearly all the counties thus marked off. It is rare also in the extreme south – west, in Devon and Cornwall. It is best represented in Beds, Bucks, Suffolk, and Wilts. The name is sparingly represented in Scotland.” [3]

In Scotland, it was “a surname of some antiquity and still met with in many parts of the country, Berwick, Fife, and Aberdeen. The first of the name recorded in Aberdeenshire is “Robertus dictus King” who bequeathed to the prior and convent of St. Andrews land in that shire which was the subject of a convention in 1247 between his brother’s daughter, Goda, and the prior and convent.” [4]

Early History of the King family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our King research.

King Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. King has been spelled many different ways, including King, Kings and others.

Early Notables of the King family (pre 1700)

Distinguished members of the family include Oliver King (c.1432-1503) was a Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Bath and Wells who restored Bath Abbey after 1500; Robert King LL.D. (1600-1676), an English jurist and Master of Trinity Hall, Cambridge; John King (died 1621), Bishop of London in the Church of England from 1611 to 1621; Henry King (1592-1669), an English poet and bishop; Edward King (c. 1606-1681), an English lawyer and politician, Member of Parliament for Grimsby (1660) and supporter of the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.

King World Ranking

In the United States, the name King is the 30^th most popular surname with an estimated 472,530 people with that name. [5] However, in Canada, the name King is ranked the 43^rd most popular surname with an estimated 40,670 people with that name. [6] And in Quebec, Canada, the name King is the 955^th popular surname. [7] Newfoundland, Canada ranks King as 6^th with 1,224 people. [8] Australia ranks King as 18^th with 53,858 people. [9] New Zealand ranks King as 12^nd with 6,489 people. [10] The United Kingdom ranks King as 36^th with 96,180 people. [11]South Africa ranks King as 517^th with 13,814 people. [12]

 Migration of the King family to Ireland

Some of the King family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.

 King migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Kings to arrive in North America: 

King Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Samuel King, who landed at Plymouth in 1620
• Henery King, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1620 aboard the ship “Jonathan” [13]
• Daniel King, who settled in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1630
• Mr. Thomas King, aged 15, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship “Elizabeth” [14]
• Mr. Thomas King, aged 19, who landed in New England in 1634 aboard the ship “Francis” [14]

King Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Dorman King, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 [13]
• Christopher King, who landed in Virginia in 1703 [13]
• Anne King, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 [13]
• Elizabeth King, who landed in Virginia in 1715 [13]
• Andrew King, who arrived in Virginia in 1721 [13]

King Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Agness King, aged 62, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 [13]
• Sarah King, who sailed from Scotland to South Carolina with her uncle John in 1820
• Agnes King, who arrived in North Carolina in 1820 [13]
• Henry King, who arrived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania in 1828 [13]
• Amos N King, who landed in Texas in 1835 [13]

King Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

• Mr. John King, (b. 1869), aged 33, Cornish telegraph operator travelling aboard the ship “St Paul” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th August 1902 en route to Chicago, Illinois, USA [15]
• Mrs. Sarah King, (b. 1838), aged 65, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship “New York” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th May 1903 en route to Buffalo, New York, USA [15]
• Mr. William Francis King, (b. 1875), aged 28, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship “Majestic” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 8th October 1903 en route to Red Jacket, Michigan, USA [15]
• Mr. Ernest Victor King, (b. 1885), aged 18, Cornish labourer, from Plymouth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship “Philadelphia” arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 28th November 1903 en route to Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA [15]
• Mrs. Edith Grace King, (b. 1880), aged 25, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship “Philadelphia” arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Painesdale, Michigan, USA [15]