The Welsh name Kyffan comes from a place name. Some instances derive from the hamlet of Cyffin, in the county of Montgomery, while others come from the parish of Gyffin, in the county of Carnarvon. The Welsh word "cyffin" means "limit" or "confine."
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Early Origins of the Kyffan family
The surname Kyffan was first found in Montgomeryshire (Welsh: Sir Drefaldwyn), located in mid-Eastern Wales, one of thirteen historic counties, and anciently the medieval kingdom of Powys Wenwynwyn, 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.
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Early History of the Kyffan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kyffan research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1616 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Kyffan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Kyffan Spelling Variations
The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The earliest explanation for the preponderance of spelling variations is that when Welsh surnames were in Welsh and accordingly were difficult to translate into English. It was therefore up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Kyffan have included Kyffin, Kiffin, Cuffin, Cyffin and others.
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Early Notables of the Kyffan family
Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kyffan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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Migration of the Kyffan family
During the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Kyffan: David Kiffin settled in Virginia in 1635.
Wales
