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The Cunard name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in a small valley. The surname Cunard is derived from the Old English word cumb, which means valley. The surname Cunard belongs to the large class of Anglo-Saxon topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees.
Alternatively, the name could have been an occupational name for 'the comber,' as in 'the wool comber.' 1 "The early importance of this occupation was bound to create and preserve this surname. " 2
The surname Cunard was first found in various counties an shires throughout ancient Britain. By example, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Richard le Cumbere in Cambridgeshire; and John le Cumbur in Oxfordshire. 2
Ralph (le) Cambere was listed in the Pipe Rolls for Lincolnshire (1201-1202.) Reginald Combere (le Camber) was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Hertfordshire in 1220 and Ralph le Combere and William le Comere were found in Norfolk in 1286. William le Combere was listed in the Assize Rolls of Cheshire in 1260 and later, John Comber was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 3
John a Kent and John a Cumber is a sixteenth-century English play by Anthony Munday (c. 1560-1633.) The exact dating of the play is not known but we do know that it was being performed on stage as early as 1587. It is generally thought that in this case, the comedic play's character was in fact John a' Cumber (relating to Cumberland) The play has parallels with Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cunard research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1296, 1575, 1631, 1644, 1645, 1649, 1653, 1660, 1689 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Cunard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cunard has undergone many spelling variations, including Comber, Comer, Commber, Commer, Combers, Commers and others.
Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Comber (1575-1653), an English linguist, Dean of Carlisle and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge (1631-1645.) He was born at Shermanbury, Sussex, on 1 Jan. 1575, being the twelfth son of his father, who was a barrister-at-law. 4
Thomas Comber (1645-1699), was an English churchman from Barkham, Sussex, Dean of Durham from 1689. He "was descended from an ancient family at Barkham, Sussex. His father, James Comber, was the fourth son of John Comber, who was uncle to Thomas Comber, Dean of Carlisle. Thomas was born at Westerham on 19 March 1644-5...
Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cunard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 48 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cunard were among those contributors:
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: