Show ContentsKincer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Kincer surname is one of the many Norman names that came to Britain following 1066. The Kincer surname is generally thought to have come from Cuinchy in the Arrondissement of Béthune, Pays de Calais region of northern France; however there were several places in France such as Quincy-sous-Sénard in Seine-et-Oise or Quincy-Voisins in Seine-et-Marne.

Another reference states clearly that the name is "a baronial family from Quincé, Maine to the house of De Rohan, whose arms they bore. The mascles [(hollow diamond shapes)] were borne by the Dukes de Rohan." [1]

These place names all derive from the Gallo-Roman personal name Quintus, meaning "fifth-born."

Early Origins of the Kincer family

The surname Kincer was first found in Northamptonshire, where the first of several to bear the name Saer de Quincy (Saer I) was Lord of the Manor of Long Buckby. Saer I was the second husband of Matilda of St Liz, stepdaughter of King David I of Scotland, and thus the family had holdings in Scotland from very early times. [2]

This line produced Saer de Quincy (1170-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester. He was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England. He fought against King John after the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. While on the Fifth Crusade in 1219, he fell sick and died and was buried in Acre, the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

"In the reign of the Second Henry, Saier de Quincy had a grant from the crown of the Manor of Bushley, co. Northampton, previously the property of Anselme de Conchis. Of his two sons, the elder, Robert, became a Soldier of the Cross, and the younger, Saier, was created Earl of Winchester by King John. He subsequently obtained large grants and immunities from the same monarch, but, nevertheless, when the Baronial War broke out, his Lordship's pennant waved on the side of freedom, and be became so eminent amongst his contemporaries that he was chosen one of the twenty-five Barons appointed to enforce the observance of Magna Charta." [3]

"The name is in Holinshed's list of the followers of William the Conqueror." [4]

Early rolls give us today a glimpse of the many spelling is use over the years. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two entries with an early spelling: Robert de Quency, Essex; and Hawyse de Quency, Bedfordshire. [5] The aforementioned Saer de Quincy was listed in Oxford Rolls as a Knights Templar in 1153-1163. Henry Quenci was listed in Lincolnshire in early days. [6]

Early History of the Kincer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kincer research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1155, 1160, 1195, 1219, 1265, 1722, 1774, 1775, 1785 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Kincer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kincer Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Kincer were recorded, including Quincy, Quincey, de Quincey, Quince and others.

Early Notables of the Kincer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Saer de Quincy (1155-1219), 1st Earl of Winchester, a prominent figure in both Scotland and England, who was one of the leaders of the baronial rebellion against King John of England that followed the Magna Carta. He died in 1219 after becoming ill during the siege of Damietta, during the Fifth Crusade: he was buried in Acre, Jerusalem, but his heart was brought back and interred at Garendon Abbey near Loughborough. Years later, John Quincy (died 1722) was an English apothecary, but better known as a medical writer.Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859), was the...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kincer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kincer Ranking

In the United States, the name Kincer is the 16,477th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [7]

Migration of the Kincer family

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Kincer arrived in North America very early: Parker Quince who settled in Boston in 1763; Edmund Quincy, originally of Wigsthorp in Northumberland (of the Scottish Quinceys), settled in Boston in 1633.


Contemporary Notables of the name Kincer (post 1700) +

  • Jim Kincer (b. 1941), American entrepreneur in office products, broadcasting (radio and TV) and real estate


  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  4. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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