Kees History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

The Kees surname is derived from the Gaelic MacAoidh; "Aoidh" is Gaelic for fire, as well as the name of a pagan god.

Early Origins of the Kees family

The surname Kees was first found in Sutherland (Gaelic: Cataibh), a former county in northern Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Highland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Kees family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kees research. Another 276 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1329, 1408, 1411, 1429, 1506 and 1575 are included under the topic Early Kees History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kees Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: MacKay, MacCay, MacQuey, MacQuoid, MacKaw, MacKy, MacKye, MacCoy, McCoy and many more.

Early Notables of the Kees family

More information is included under the topic Early Kees Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kees Ranking

In the United States, the name Kees is the 10,057^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Kees family to Ireland

Some of the Kees family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kees migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kees Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Kees, who landed in Virginia in 1702 2
Johan Peter Kees, who arrived in New York in 1709 2
Fable Kees, aged 20, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
Peter Kees, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
Joh Philip Kees, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1774 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Kees (post 1700) +

Frederick G. Kees (1852-1927), American architect, co-founder of the Kees and Colburn architectural fiorm
Frank M. Kees Jr., American politician, Mayor of Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1950-55 3
Kees Torn (b. 1967), Dutch comedian
Kees Teer (1925-2021), Dutch electrical engineer and director of the Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium from 1968 until 1985
Kees Wiese (1936-2020), Dutch journalist, writer and poet from Utrecht, Netherlands
Kees van Buuren (b. 1986), Dutch football defender
Kees de Wit (1924-1993), Dutch soil scientist and plant breeder
Kees Brusse (1925-2013), Dutch actor, film director and screenwriter
Kees Kist (b. 1952), Dutch retired football striker
Kees Lensing (b. 1978), Namibian rugby union player

The Kees Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Manu forti
Motto Translation: With a strong hand.

Citations +

"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html