Show ContentsKinslow History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 added many new elements to an already vibrant culture. Among these were thousands of new names. The Kinslow family lived in one of the places called Kingsley in Cheshire or Staffordshire having derived from the Old English word cyningesleah, which means wood or clearing of the king. 1 Thus, Kinslow is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Kinslow family

The surname Kinslow was first found in Cheshire where a "township and estate, the property of Sir Ranulph de Kingsley before 1128 was found. In the XVIII century the family divided into two branches, the younger continuing the name of Kingsley, the elder adopting that of De Aula or Hale." 2 Another early listing of the name was Adam de Kyngeslegh who was listed in East Cheshire. 3 Kingsley is a township, civil parish and a village in the parish of Frodsham, union of Runcorn. 4 It was first listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Chingeslie. 5

One of the first records of the family was Kynsige, Kinsius, Kinsi or Cynesige (d. 1060), Archbishop of York "who, it is said, was brought into the world by a Caesarean operation." 6

Early History of the Kinslow family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinslow research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kinslow History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinslow Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval 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. The name has been spelled Kingsley, Kingsleigh, Kingslee, Kinsey and others.

Early Notables of the Kinslow family

More information is included under the topic Early Kinslow Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinslow Ranking

In the United States, the name Kinslow is the 9,675th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7


Australia Kinslow migration to Australia +

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

Kinslow Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Charles Kinslow, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • Mr. Charles Kinslow, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  6. Lee, Sir Stanley, Dictionary of National Biography. London: The MacMillan Company 1909. Print
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia


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