Show ContentsKimpster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Kimpster is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a 'kembster,' a wool-comber. 1 Traditionally a female occupation, early rolls note "Agnes," and "Alice" as in Alice le Kembester in Cheshire 1302-1303. 2 One source notes the name could have originated in Kempston in either Bedfordshire or Norfolk. 3

Early Origins of the Kimpster family

The surname Kimpster was first found in Huntingdonshire where Agnes Kembestere was recorded in 1252. Later in Oxfordshire, Dionisia le Kemstere was listed at Oseney in 1317 and later again, Agnes Kempster was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1327. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had only one entry for the family, that of Peter Cambestre in Cambridgeshire. In Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Agnes Kembester; Johanna Saper, kemster; and Robertus Kembster. 1

Early History of the Kimpster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kimpster research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1627, 1684, 1715, 1747, 1791 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Kimpster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kimpster Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Kimpster has appeared include Kemper, Kempster, Kemster and others.

Early Notables of the Kimpster family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kimpster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kimpster family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Kimpster arrived in North America very early: Daniel Kempster, who settled at Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635; Daniel Kemper, who sailed to Boston in 1651; Susanna Kempster, who came to Maryland in 1725.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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