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Kinsman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Kinsman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Kinsman comes from Kynes-man which in Old English referred to a cousin or relative. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Kinsman family

The surname Kinsman was first found in Norfolk, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Kinsman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinsman research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1275, 1588, 1589, 1676, 1682, 1715 and 1770 are included under the topic Early Kinsman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinsman Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Kinsman were recorded, including Kinsman, Cunesman, Kinesman and others.

Early Notables of the Kinsman family

Distinguished members of the family include

George Kinsman, a prominent landholder in the 16th century

Kinsman Ranking

In the United States, the name Kinsman is the 14,861^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Kinsman migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Kinsman family emigrate to North America:

Kinsman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Kinsman who arrived in America in 1634
Robert Kinsman, who landed in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1637 2
Hen Kinsman, who arrived in Virginia in 1642 2
Alex Kinsman, who landed in Virginia in 1664 2
William Kinsman, who arrived in Maryland in 1671 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kinsman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Kinsman, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
Frederick Kinsman, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869 2
Miss C. Kinsman, (b. 1871), aged 22, Cornish settler, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Nevada" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 26th April 1893 en route to Arizona, USA 3
Mr. Albert Kinsman, (b. 1873), aged 26, Cornish miner travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 2nd September 1899 en route to Chicago, Illinois, USA 3

Kinsman Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Isidore Kinsman, (b. 1885), aged 19, Cornish carpenter travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th September 1904 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 3
Mr. James Henry Kinsman, (b. 1884), aged 21, Cornish miner, from Redruth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 18th February 1905 en route to Negaunee, Michigan, USA 3
Mr. Sidney Kinsman, (b. 1888), aged 17, English settler travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th June 1905 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 3
Mrs. Annie Kinsman, (b. 1856), aged 49, English housekeeper travelling aboard the ship "Campania" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 24th June 1905 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 3
Mrs. Caroline Kinsman, (b. 1849), aged 56, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Etruria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Globe, Arizona, USA 3

Kinsman migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kinsman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Kinsman, Cornish settler who immigrated to New South Wales, Australia in 1833 convicted at Sydney Gaol on 26th April 1838 4
Mr. Thomas Kinsman, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Candahar" on 26th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
John Kinsman, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1847 6
William Kinsman, aged 50, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Caucasian" 7
Miss Mary Kinsman, (b. 1829), aged 25, Cornish domestic servant departing from Plymouth on 21st May 1854 aboard the ship "Nestor" arriving in Portland, Victoria, Australia on 16th September 1854 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kinsman migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kinsman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Edgar Kinsman, (b. 1863), aged 10, Cornish settler departing on 13th May 1873 aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th August 1873 9
Miss Mary Kinsman, (b. 1853), aged 20, Cornish servant departing on 13th May 1873 aboard the ship "Mary Shepherd" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 20th August 1873 9
Miss Annetta Kinsman, (b. 1867), aged 16, Cornish settler departing on 11th October 1883 aboard the ship "Coptic" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 1st December 1883 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Kinsman (post 1700) +

Shane Kinsman, American Young Artist Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winning child actor, twin brother of Brent Kinsman
Brent Kinsman, American Young Artist Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winning child actor, twin brother of Shane Kinsman
Thomas James Kinsman (b. 1945), U.S. Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War
Frederick Joseph Kinsman (1868-1944), American Roman Catholic church historian, former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church
Paul Eric Kinsman (1931-2014), Canadian physician and politician, MLA for Kings West, Nova Scotia (1963-1967)
Ms. Annie Kinsman (d. 1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion on 6th December 1917
Jeremy Kinsman (b. 1942), retired Canadian diplomat, was Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (2000-2002) and Canadian Ambassador to the European Union (2002-2006)
Gary Kinsman (b. 1955), Canadian sociologist, one of Canada's leading academics on lesbian, gay, and transgender issues

Historic Events for the Kinsman family +

Halifax Explosion

Ms. Annie Kinsman, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 10

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_gaol_admissions.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/candahar
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847DavidMalcolm.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BARQUE CAUCASIAN 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/caucasian1852.shtml
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance