Kerr Family Crest and Name History

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Kerr PDF Surname History


The Ancient History Of The Distinguished Surname Kerr

Kerr

Contents

Kerr history with Kerr Family Crest
Kerr Motto Translated
Suggested Readings for Kerr
Surname Notables

Clan Badge of Kerr

Septs of Kerr

About Family Crests

Kerr Products

Origins Available: Irish, Scottish

Where did the Scottish Kerr family come from? What is the Scottish coat of arms/family crest? When did the Kerr family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the history of the family name?

One of the most common classes of Scottish surnames is the patronymic surname, which arose out of the vernacular and religious naming traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Patronymic surnames of this type were usually derived from the personal name of the original bearer's father. The surname Kerr is derived from the Gaelic name O'Ciarain or O'Ceirin, which itself comes from the Gaelic word ciar, which means black or dark brown.

Scottish surnames are distinguished by a multitude of spelling variations because, over the centuries, the names were frequently translated into and from Gaelic. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or clan affiliation or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Kerr has also been spelled Kerr, Car, Carr, Ker, Cearr (Gaelic) and many more.

First found in Lancashire, where they were seated from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Kerr, or a variant listed above: William Ker, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718.

Motto Translated: Late but in earnest.

For more information on the last name Kerr, the PDF Surname History is available for purchase as well as other products.

Suggested Readings for the name Kerr

Christian Frederick Kerr by Elaine Ford Eaton.
Heasley, Kerr, Smith, Cook by Alice Heasley Dwight.

Some noteworthy people of the name Kerr

Donald Maclean Kerr Jr. (b. 1939), American physicist, director of Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1979-1985, and director of FBI Laboratory from 1997
Deborah Kerr (1921-2007), CBE, American (Scottish-born) movie actress Actress perhaps best known for her role opposite Yul Brynner in "The King and I"
Walter Francis Kerr (1913-1996), American writer and Broadway theater critic awarded the 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
Roy Patrick Kerr (b. 1934), New Zealand mathematician and physicist
Sir John Robert Kerr (1914-1991), Australian politician, governor-general of Australia from 1974-1977
Philip Henry Kerr (1882-1940), (11th Marquess of Lothian) British administrator, diplomat, and newspaper editor, British ambassador to the USA from 1939-1940
Tim Kerr (b. 1960), Canadian, a retired professional hockey player, played in the NHL between 1980-1993
Lieutenant George Fraser Kerr (1895-1929), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War
Private John Chipman Kerr (1887-1963), Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War

Kerr Clan Badge

A clan is a social group made up of a number of distinct branch-families that actually descended from, or accepted themselves as descendants of, a common ancestor. The word clan means simply children. The idea of the clan as a community is necessarily based around this idea of heredity and is most often ruled according to a patriarchal structure. For instance, the clan chief represented the hereditary "parent" of the entire clan. The most prominent example of this form of society is the Scottish Clan system...

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Septs of the Distinguished Name Kerr
Car, Caray, Care, Caree, Carees, Cares, Carey, Careys, Carie, Carr, Carray, Carre, Carrees, Carrey, Carreys, Carrie, Carries, Carrs, Carry, Carrys, Cary, Carys, Cearr, Cessford, Curr, Garr, Harie, Harrie, Harry, Kare, Karr, Karre, Kary, Kearey, Kearie, Kearrie, Keerey, Keerie, Keery, Keir, Keirey, Keirie, Keiry, Ker, Kerr, Kier, Kiers, Maccarry, MacGhillechearr, MacHarie and more.

Tell Me More About Family Crests

Family Crests: the Heraldic Artist

We have researched the Kerr family crest in the most recognized sources. Before an artist or craftsman can render a family crest, it must exist. In other words the crest must have been designed and recorded by the heralds from time immemorial.

Heraldic designs matriculated by the lay-artist in many cases becomes uninspired, meretricious and even ugly...

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Family Crests: Timeline

Many of the symbols adopted into armory have been used since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but heraldry itself did not begin until the 11th century. In continental Europe, the most ancient recorded family crest was discovered upon the monumental effigy of a Count of Wasserburg in the church of St. Emeran, at Ratisobon, Germany...

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Family Crests: Elements

In the Kerr coat of arms as in all coat of arms the crest is only one element of the full armorial achievement. Again the Family Crest is just part of the story of Coats of Arms or Heraldry. Heraldry is defined as the hereditary art or science of blazoning, the description is appropriate technical terms of Coats-of-Arms and other heraldic and armorial insignia, and is of very ancient origin...

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Family Crests and Genealogy: how they relate

We encourage you to study the Kerr genealogy to find out if you descend from someone who bore a particular family crest. Anyone making a study of heraldry usually becomes interested in Genealogy or seeking legal claim to a particular family crest. No families, not even the royal houses, can make sound claim to the right to bear arms unless a proven connection is established through attested Genealogical records...

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Kerr Family Crest Products

Anniversary

Anniversary products for the name Kerr.

Apparel

Apparel with the coat of arms for the name Kerr.

Armorial histories

Armorial histories for the name Kerr.

Ceramics

Ceramics featuring the Kerr family crest.

Clan Badges

Clan Badges for the name Kerr.

Clip art

Clip art of all the most used heraldic pieces.

Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms for the name Kerr.

Downloads

Downloads revealing the family crest for the surname Kerr.

Family Crest

Family Crest for the name Kerr.

Family Tree

Family Tree with the family crest for the name Kerr.

Hand Painted Plaques

Hand Painted Plaques showing the Kerr family crest.

Keychains

Keychains showing the Kerr family crest.

Mouse pads

Mouse pads revealing the Kerr family crest.

New Products

New Products with the coat of arms for the name Kerr.

Packages

Packages with a Kerr family crest.

Plaques and Frames

Plaques and Frames proudly displaying the Kerr family crest.

Surname Histories

Surname Histories for the name Kerr.

Symbolism

Symbolism proudly displaying the Kerr family crest.

Travel Mugs

Travel Mugs featuring the Kerr family crest.

Popular Products
	Armorial History With Coat of Arms
	Coat of Arms & Surname History Package
	Family Crest Image (jpg) Heritage Series - 300 DPI
	Key-chain
	Coffee Mug
	Armorial History with Frame
	Framed Surname History and Coat of Arms

The Kerr Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Kerr Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.