Cuss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Cuss family name dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name comes from when an early member worked as a maker of leather armor for the knight's legs. In some cases the name was used as a trade name for a shoemaker. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old French word cuisse, a type of leather armor.
Early Origins of the Cuss family
The surname Cuss was first found in Leicestershire, where they held a family seat from early times.
Early History of the Cuss family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cuss research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1455, 1545, 1576 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Cuss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cuss Spelling Variations
Cuss has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Cuss have been found, including Kiss, Kish, Kyshe, Kysh, Kysse, Cuss, Cusse, Cush and others.
Early Notables of the Cuss family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Thomas Kysse the bailiff of Yarmouth in the mid-15th century, and John Cusse, a prominent landholder in the 16th century and esquire of Broughton Gifford
Cuss migration to the United States +
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Cusss to arrive on North American shores:
Cuss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Henry Cuss, who landed in Maryland in 1676 1
Cuss migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Cuss Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. Elihu Cuss U.E. who settled in Township of Longucuil [Longueuil], Quebec c. 1783 2
Cuss migration to West Indies +
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association.
3Cuss Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- Richard Cuss who arrived in Barbados in 1684
Citations +
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies