Show ContentsKyffyn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Welsh name Kyffyn 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."

Early Origins of the Kyffyn family

The surname Kyffyn 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.

Early History of the Kyffyn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kyffyn research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1599, 1616 and 1701 are included under the topic Early Kyffyn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kyffyn Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Therefore, scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Kyffyn has occasionally been spelled Kyffin, Kiffin, Cuffin, Cyffin and others.

Early Notables of the Kyffyn family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kyffyn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kyffyn family

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Kyffyn David Kiffin settled in Virginia in 1635.



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