Show ContentsKendrick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Scotland, the ancestors of the Kendrick family were part of a tribe called the Picts. The name Kendrick is derived from the personal name Henry.

Early Origins of the Kendrick family

The surname Kendrick was first found in Ayrshire and Fife where the intrusive "d" is common as in "Hendry." The earliest records are in the Latin form: "Henricus, dapifer, a witness c. 1183-88, and Henricus (Chen), bishop of Aberdeen, 1282-1328." 1

Early History of the Kendrick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kendrick research. Another 149 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1519, 1527, 1551, 1552, 1562, 1600, 1700, 1718, 1771, 1774, 1777, 1781, 1785, 1790, 1793, 1798 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kendrick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kendrick Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Kendrick has been spelled Hendry, Hendrie, MacHendry, MacHendrick, MacKendrick and many more.

Early Notables of the Kendrick family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Robert Henry (1718-1790), Scottish historian, son of James Henry, farmer, of Muirton, parish of St. Ninian's, Stirlingshire, and Jean Galloway, was born on 18 Feb. 1718. "The first volume of Henry's ‘History of England’ appeared in...
Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kendrick Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kendrick Ranking

In the United States, the name Kendrick is the 1,015th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Kendrick family to Ireland

Some of the Kendrick family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Kendrick migration to the United States +

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Kendrick:

Kendrick Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Kendrick, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 aboard the ship "James" 3
  • George Kendrick, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 aboard the ship "James" 4
  • Mrs. Jane Kendrick, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1635 aboard the ship "James" 4
  • Edward Kendrick, who landed in Virginia in 1644 3
Kendrick Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Eliza Kendrick, who arrived in Virginia in 1702 3
  • Henry Kendrick, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
Kendrick Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Walter Kendrick, aged 47, who landed in New York in 1812 3
  • Isaac Kendrick, who arrived in Texas in 1835 3
  • Peter Kendrick, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
  • A. Kendrick, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
  • Edward Kendrick, aged 6, who immigrated to the United States from Manchester, in 1892
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Kendrick Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • C. Kendrick, aged 26, who immigrated to the United States from Leamington, in 1905
  • Arthur H. Kendrick, aged 43, who settled in America from Birmingham, England, in 1907
  • Edward R. Kendrick, aged 51, who settled in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
  • Ellen Mary Kendrick, aged 24, who landed in America from Eastbourne, England, in 1907
  • Ethel Kendrick, aged 18, who immigrated to America from Smethwick, England, in 1907
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Kendrick migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kendrick Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Kendrick Duke William U.E. (b. 1763) born in Bergin County, New Jersey, USA who settled in Grimross [Gagetown], Queens County, New Brunswick c. 1767, then Kingston, New Brunswick before relocating in 1793 to Niagara (Newark), Ontario, Canada he was a River Pilot shuttling supplies for the British Forces, then serving in various units as required, married to Susannah they had 11 children he died in active service in 1813 from pneumonia 5
  • Mr. Kendrick Thomas U.E. (b. 1749) who settled in Campobello, [Campobello Island], Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 he died in 1821 5
Kendrick Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Edna Pearl Kendrick, aged 29, who immigrated to Blenheim, Canada, in 1920

Australia Kendrick migration to Australia +

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

Kendrick Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

New Zealand Kendrick 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:

Kendrick Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Kendrick, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • James Kendrick, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Persia" in 1860
  • Walter Kendrick, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Persia" in 1860
  • John Kendrick, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Woodlark" in 1874
  • James Kendrick, aged 34, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alumbagh" in 1875 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kendrick (post 1700) +

  • Dolores Kendrick (1927-2017), American poet, the 2nd Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia
  • Edward James "Eddie" Kendrick (1939-1992), American singer and songwriter
  • Vincent Kendrick (1952-2015), American former college and professional football player who played from 1974 to 1976
  • John Benjamin Kendrick (1857-1933), American politician, United States Senator from Wyoming (1917 to 1933)
  • Anna Kendrick (b. 1985), American Academy Award nominated actress
  • Rodney Kendrick (b. 1960), American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and producer
  • Charles S. Kendrick (1817-1863), American officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War, eponym of the USS Kendrick (DD-612)
  • Kyle Rodney Kendrick (b. 1984), American Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
  • Robert Bradley Kendrick (b. 1979), American former tennis player
  • Howard Joseph "Howie" Kendrick III (b. 1983), American Major League Baseball second baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
  • ... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Dorsetshire
  • George Kendrick (d. 1945), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 8
Victoria steamboat disaster
  • Maria E. Kendrick, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881


Suggested Readings for the name Kendrick +

  • The Family of Kendrick, 1782-1991 by Mary Elizabeth Gunn.
  • The Kendrick Kindred by Guy Dyson.

  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  5. 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
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html


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