Kerington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Kerington is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived at Carenton, a port town, and Chateau in Normandy. 1 It is thought that the first of the name in Britain was Norman Hamo de Carenton of Normandy, who came to Britain as a young attendant to his uncle at Hastings in 1066 A.D., and was rewarded for his services by grants of land in county of Chester.

Carrington, or Primrose is a parish in Edinburghshire, Scotland containing with the villages of Thornton and Whitefaugh and Carrington. 2

Early Origins of the Kerington family

The surname Kerington was first found in Cheshire at Carrington, a township and chapelry, in the parish of Bowdon, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow. "The manor was held for more than three centuries by a family of the same name." 3

"A moiety of the manor [at Ashton upon Mersey] was held for many generations by the Carringtons, and passed by a female heir of that family to the Booths." 3

There are two other places named Carrington in Britain: in Lincolnshire which was "first recorded in 1812, and named after Robert Smith, Lord Carrington (1752-1838), who had lands there"; 4 and in Nottinghamshire where "this village, which is of recent origin, consists partly of handsome villas, occupied by merchants and lace manufacturers, who have warehouses in Nottingham." 3

Now part of Greater Manchester, Carrington dates back to the 12th century when it was first listed as Carrintona and possibly meant "estate associated with a man called Cara," from the Old English personal name + "-ing" + "tun." 4

Some of the first record of the family include: Thomas de Karington who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1219; and John de Carrington found in the Assize Rolls for Cheshire in 1294. 5

In Scotland, the name came from the "lands of Carrington in East Lothian. Wautier de Keringtone, parson of the church of Dunnotre, rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]." 6

Early History of the Kerington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kerington research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1219, 1294, 1296, 1796 and 1868 are included under the topic Early Kerington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kerington Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Kerington family name include Carrington, Carington, Kerrington, Karrington, Kerington, Carinton and many more.

Early Notables of the Kerington family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kerington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kerington family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Kerington surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Michael Carrington who settled in Virginia in 1652 with his brother Samuel; Thomas Carrington settled in New England in 1632; Edward Carrington settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1632.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)