Kunsman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Kunsman originated with the Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled Britain. It is derived 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 Kunsman family

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

Early History of the Kunsman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kunsman 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 Kunsman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kunsman Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Kunsman has appeared include Kinsman, Cunesman, Kinesman and others.

Early Notables of the Kunsman family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kunsman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kunsman migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Kunsman arrived in North America very early:

Kunsman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Maria Kunsman, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1807 1
John Kunsman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1844 1

Citations +

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)