Kong History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Kong is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone 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 Kong family

The surname Kong 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 Kong family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kong research. Another 110 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1247, 1421, 1432, 1467, 1500, 1503, 1592, 1600, 1606, 1611, 1621, 1637, 1648, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1669, 1676, 1679, 1681, 1688, 1706, 1712, 1717, 1797 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kong History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kong Spelling Variations

Kong has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Kong have been found, including King, Kings and others.

Early Notables of the Kong family

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...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kong Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kong Ranking

In the United States, the name Kong is the 4,494^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5 However, in France, the name Kong is ranked the 4,321^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Kong family to Ireland

Some of the Kong family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 108 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kong family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Kongs to arrive on North American shores: Samuel King, who landed at Plymouth in 1620; Daniel King, who came to Lynn, Massachusetts in 1630; Allin and Alice King, who settled in Virginia in 1635.

Contemporary Notables of the name Kong (post 1700) +

Ming Wai Kong O.B.E. (b. 1974), British Senior Lawyer for Government Legal Department, was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 for services to Energy Policy 7

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists