Kitney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the Kitney name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in the village of Gedney in the county of Lincolnshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English Gyddan-ea, which literally means Gydda's island. Another source notes the place name probably means "island or well-watered land of a man called Gaeda or Gydda," from the Old English personal name. 1

Early Origins of the Kitney family

The surname Kitney was first found in Lincolnshire at Gedney, a village and civil parish in the South Holland district that dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Gadenai. 2

"The church [of Gedney] is a beautiful structure, supposed to have been built by the abbots of Crowland, who had large possessions in the parish; it contains 53 windows, those of the north aisle having considerable remains of painted glass." 3

Today the parish includes the hamlets of Gedney Drove End, Gedney Dyke, Gedney Dawsmere, and Gedney Marsh.

One of the first records of the family was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where Hervey de Gedeney was listed in Lincolnshire. 4

Early History of the Kitney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kitney research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1698 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kitney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kitney Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Kitney were recorded, including Gidney, Gibney, Gedney, Gibbney and others.

Early Notables of the Kitney family

Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kitney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kitney family to Ireland

Some of the Kitney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kitney migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Kitney family emigrate to North America:

Kitney Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Dennis Kitney, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 5

Kitney migration to Australia +

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

Kitney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

George Kitney, English convict from Kent, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831