Kimbrough History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Atlantic Ocean to the north and west and the English Channel to the south borders Cornwall, the homeland to the Kimbrough family name. Even though the usage of surnames was common during the Middle Ages, all English people were known only by a single name in early times. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. The Kimbrough family originally lived in the county of Cornwall at South Kimber. 1 Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational name for 'the comber,' a wool-comber. 2

Early Origins of the Kimbrough family

The surname Kimbrough was first found in Cornwall 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. West and East Kimber are in Devon and both parishes date back to shortly after the Conquest.

Early History of the Kimbrough family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kimbrough research. Another 275 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1545, 1617, 1642, 1643, 1662, 1692, 1711, 1719, 1742, 1744, 1755, 1769, 1779, 1793 and 1818 are included under the topic Early Kimbrough History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kimbrough Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Kimber, Kember and others.

Early Notables of the Kimbrough family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Isaac Kimber (1692-1755), an English General Baptist minister, biographer, and journalist from Wantage, Berkshire. His son, Edward Kimber (1719-1769) was...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kimbrough Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kimbrough Ranking

In the United States, the name Kimbrough is the 2,225^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Kimbrough migration to the United States +

The records on immigrants and ships' passengers show a number of people bearing the name Kimbrough:

Kimbrough Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Buckley Kimbrough, who landed in Texas in 1835 4

Kimbrough Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Bradley Kimbrough, aged 23, who arrived in America in 1904
Dollie Kimbrough, aged 18, who arrived in America in 1914
Joseph W. Kimbrough, aged 20, who arrived at North Carolina, in 1921
Edward Ernest Kimbrough, aged 30, who settled in Gainsville, Georgia, in 1922
Emily Kimbrough, aged 23, who settled in Buffalo, New York, in 1922
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kimbrough (post 1700) +

Frank Kimbrough (1956-2020), American post-bop jazz pianist, born and raised in Roxboro, North Carolina
Elbert Leon Kimbrough (b. 1938), former professional American NFL football safety
Stan Kimbrough (b. 1966), retired American professional NBA basketball player
Emily Kimbrough (1899-1989), American author and journalist, managing editor at the Ladies Home Journal
Louis Clinton "Clint" Kimbrough (1933-1996), American actor, known for Bloody Mama (1970), Night Call Nurses (1972) and others
Lottie Kimbrough (b. 1900), American country blues singer, nicknamed "the Kansas City Butterball"
William Adams "Will" Kimbrough (b. 1964), American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer
Frank H. Kimbrough (1904-1971), American college football player, coach of football and basketball, and college athletics administrator
David "Junior" Kimbrough (1930-1998), American blues musician, best known for his "Keep Your Hands Off Her" and "All Night Long"
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Shane Kimbrough (b. 1967), American Army officer and a NASA astronaut, a Mission Specialist on STS-126 5
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Kimbrough 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: Frangas non flectes
Motto Translation: Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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)
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Robert Kimbrough. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/kimbrough-rs.html