Show ContentsKingman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Kingman has a history dating as far back as the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It was a name for a person who was of a kingly nature or appearance. The surname Kingman originally derived from the Old English Cyng which referred to one with noble features or characteristics of a King. The surname Kingman also referred to an actor who played the role of a king in pageants or plays. He may have also played the role of King of Misrule in a tournament. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

Early Origins of the Kingman family

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

Early History of the Kingman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kingman research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1166, 1184, 1379, 1533, 1573 and 1611 are included under the topic Early Kingman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kingman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Kingman have been found, including Kingsman, Kingman, Kyngesman, Kingmen, Kingsmen and others.

Early Notables of the Kingman family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • William Kingman, prominent 14th century landholder


United States Kingman migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Kingman, or a variant listed above:

Kingman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Kingman, aged 40, who arrived in New England in 1635 from Weymouth, England possible boat is Mary Gould [1]
  • Henry Kingman, who landed in Weymouth, Massachusetts in 1636 [1]
  • Leo Kingman, who landed in Virginia in 1650 [1]
  • Lee Kingman, who sailed to Virginia in 1650
Kingman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Sarah Kingman, who landed in Maryland in 1740 [1]
Kingman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Kingman to San Francisco in 1852

Canada Kingman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kingman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Richard Kingman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749

Australia Kingman migration to Australia +

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

Kingman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Kingman, (b. 1777), aged 26, British Convict who was convicted in Sussex, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [2]

West Indies Kingman migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [3]
Kingman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Kingman, who settled in Barbados in 1654
  • Moses Kingman to Barbados in 1659

Contemporary Notables of the name Kingman (post 1700) +

  • Dong Kingman (1911-2000), American artist, one of America's leading watercolor masters
  • Dave Kingman (b. 1948), American Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter
  • Brigadier-General John Jennings Kingman (1882-1948), American President of California Debris Commission (1936-1937) [4]
  • Brigadier-General Allen Frederick Kingman (1893-1988), American Commanding General 2nd Armored Division (1943) [5]
  • Brian Kingman (b. 1954), American Major League Baseball pitcher from 1979 to 1983 for the Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants
  • Sir John Kingman (b. 1939), British mathematician and vice-chancellor of Bristol University
  • Eduardo Kingman (1913-1998), Ecuadorian artist
  • Robert Kingman Goodwin (1905-1983), American Republican politician, Mayor of Redfield, Iowa, 1938-40; U.S. Representative from Iowa 6th District, 1940-41 [6]
  • Kingman Brewster Jr. (1919-1988), American educator and public official, professor of law at Harvard (1950-60), president of Yale (1963-77), and U.S. ambassador to Great Britain (1977-1981)
  • Kingman Douglass (1896-1971), American investment banker and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence in 1946

Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. Richard  Kingman (1873-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [7]


  1. 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)
  2. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  4. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) John Kingman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Kingman/John_Jennings/USA.html
  5. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Allen Kingman. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Kingman/Allen_Frederick/USA.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. 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


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