Show ContentsKeirsey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the Keirsey name come from when the Anglo-Saxon tribes ruled over Britain. The name Keirsey was originally derived from a family having lived in Kersey, a parish in Suffolk. The place-name Kersey is derived from the Old English elements cærse, which means watercress, and eg, the old English word for island. It was recorded as Cæresige c. 995, and as Careseia in the Domesday Book, [1] compiled in 1086. The name as a total means "island where the watercress grows." The surname is derived from the place-name. In the early Middle Ages, local surnames were often proceeded by the word de or atte, which meant of and at, respectively. This custom was brought to England by the Normans after they conquered the Saxon Nobility at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The surname as a whole, de Keirsey, meant "of Kersey." Eventually, the use of de and atte declined, as Old English and Old Norman fused into Old English over the next few centuries.

Early Origins of the Keirsey family

The surname Keirsey was first found in Suffolk at Kersey, a village and a civil parish in the Babergh district which today includes the hamlets of Kersey Tye, Kersey Upland, Wicker Street Green, and William's Green. Originally part of the hundred of Cosford, it comprised about 1,465 acres and an Augustine priory was founded there at an early period dedicated to St. Mary and St. Anthony; at the Dissolution it was granted to King's College, Cambridge. [2] Kersey is the name of a coarse woollen cloth having derived its name from kersey yarn and ultimately from the village of Kersey.

Early History of the Keirsey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keirsey research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1272, 1616, 1690 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Keirsey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keirsey Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Keirsey include Kersey, Kercey, Keresey, Kearsey and others.

Early Notables of the Keirsey family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keirsey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Keirsey family

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: Thomas Kersey, who came to the Somers Islands in 1673; John Kersey, who settled in Philadelphia in 1731; as well as Thomas Kersey, who settled in Maryland in 1775..


Contemporary Notables of the name Keirsey (post 1700) +

  • Lt. Col. Hank Keirsey, American military adviser, known for his appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2010)
  • David West Keirsey (1921-2013), American psychologist, a professor emeritus at California State University who developed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS), a self-assessed personality questionnaire


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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