Contents [hide]

Coon History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Coon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The rugged west coast of Scotland and the desolate Hebrides islands are the ancestral home of the Coon family. Their name indicates that the original bearer lived at Cunningham in Ayrshire. However, numerous branches of the Cunningham family spread all over Scotland. Two of the most prominent branches of the Cunningham Clan, the Cunninghams of Corsehill and the Cunninghams of Caprington, trace their ancestry back to the medieval era.

Early Origins of the Coon family

The surname Coon was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire.

About the year 1050, it is said that Warnebald Cunningham saved King Malcolm Canmore by hiding him in the barn and covering him with hay concealing him from his pursuer the Pretender King, MacBeth. The grateful King Malcolm later bestowed on Warnebald the lands of Cunningham and the motto "Over Fork Over." [1]

Early History of the Coon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coon research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1490, 1520, 1548, 1574, 1575, 1578, 1610, 1630, 1664, 1670, 1716 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Coon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coon Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were not standardized practices until the last few centuries. Spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Coon has been spelled Cunningham, Cunninghame, Cunyngham, Cunnyngham, Cunnynghame, Cummingham and many more.

Early Notables of the Coon family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Cuthbert Cunningham, 3rd Earl of Glencairn; William Cunningham, 4th Earl of Glencairn (c. 1490-1548), a Scottish nobleman; Alexander Cunningham, 5th Earl of Glencairn (died 1574), Scottish nobleman and Protestant reformer; William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn (ca. 1520-1578); James Cunningham, 7th Earl of...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coon Ranking

In the United States, the name Coon is the 1,779^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. [2]

Migration of the Coon family to Ireland

Some of the Coon family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 49 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coon migration to the United States +

The hardy Scots who made the crossing settled all along the east coast of North America and in the great west that was just then opening up. At the time of the American War of Independence, many United Empire Loyalists moved north from the American colonies to Canada. Scottish national heritage became better known in North America in the 20th century through highland games and other patriotic events. An examination of immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Coon arrived in North America very early:

Coon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Coon, aged 38, who landed in New England in 1634 [3]

Coon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Georg Coon, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 [3]
Hans Michael Coon, aged 8, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 [3]
Ueronica Coon, aged 47, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 [3]
Hans Jerick Coon, aged 37, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 [3]
Michael Coon, who arrived in North Carolina in 1763 [3]

Coon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Coon, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 [3]
John Coon, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1849 [3]

Coon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Arthur Coon, (b. 1883), aged 18, English miner travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 20th April 1901 en route to Michigan, USA [4]

Coon migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Coon Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Abraham Coon U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [5]
Mr. Conradt Coon U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 [5]
Mr. James Coon U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [5]
Sgt. John Coon U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 [5]

Coon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Joseph Coon, who landed in Canada in 1834
Amasa Coon, who landed in Canada in 1841

Coon migration to Australia +

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

Coon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Coon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 [6]
Rachel Coon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 [6]
Anna Coon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 [6]
Daw Coon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 [6]
Alfred Coon, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Cleveland" in 1839 [6]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coon 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:

Coon Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Coon, (b. 1851), aged 24, Cornish farm labourer departing on 24th July 1875 aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 17th November 1875 [7]
Mr. Samuel Coon, (b. 1850), aged 28, Cornish gardener departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878 [7]
Mr. Frederick Coon, (b. 1874), aged 4, Cornish settler departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878 [7]
Mrs. Mary A. Coon, (b. 1850), aged 28, Cornish settler departing on 10th August 1878 aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th November 1878 [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Coon (post 1700) +

S. Park Coon (d. 1883), American politician, Wisconsin Attorney General 1850-1852
Jeremy Coon, American executive producer and editor, best known for his work on Napoleon Dynamite
Gene L. Coon (1924-1973), American screenwriter and television producer, best remembered for his work on the original Star Trek
Edward William Coon (1871-1934), American inventor of the maturation process for Coon cheese
Carleton Stevens Coon (1904-1981), American physical anthropologist
Datus Ensign Coon (1831-1893), American Republican politician, Member of Alabama State Senate; Member of Alabama State House of Representatives; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 1872 [8]
Charles H. Coon Jr., American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 5th District, 1972 [8]
Charles Edward Coon (1842-1920), American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 10th District, 1892; Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Washington, 1900; Lieutenant [8]
Carleton Stevens Coon Jr. (b. 1927), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, 1981-84 [8]
C. B. Coon, American politician, Member of Nebraska State Senate, 1881 [8]
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
"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
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CLEVELAND 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Cleveland.htm
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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html