Kent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


The name Kent belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in the county of Kent. The surname Kent belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names. As a general rule, the greater the distance between individuals and their homelands, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, people who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of the region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Kent family

The surname Kent was first found in Berkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D. The first record of this family was at Thatcham, shown in the Domesday Book as King's Land, containing a church and two mills. This is one of Berkshire's oldest villages.

The Hundreodumn Rolls had two early listings for the family and both had the Norman "de" prefix which was quite common at the time: Robert de Kent, Norfolk; and Gilbert de Kent, Lincolnshire. 1

Further to the north in Scotland, the family was "settled at Innerwick in East Lothian, in the middle of the twelfth century. Radulfus de Kent received some lands in Ennyrwic from Walter the Steward c. 1165, and before 1177 he witnessed the gift of the church of Cragin (Craigie) in Kyle to the monks of Paisley. " 2

Early History of the Kent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kent research. Another 216 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1165, 1190, 1296, 1379, 1383, 1390, 1391, 1392, 1393, 1394, 1401, 1402, 1404, 1405, 1406, 1409, 1410 and 1413 are included under the topic Early Kent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kent Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Kent include Kent, Kents, Kentish and others.

Early Notables of the Kent family

Notables of the family at this time include

Kent World Ranking

In the United States, the name Kent is the 676th most popular surname with an estimated 42,279 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Kent is ranked the 850th most popular surname with an estimated 6,308 people with that name. 4 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Kent is the 259th popular surname with an estimated 171 people with that name. 5 Australia ranks Kent as 304th with 11,789 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Kent as 675th with 1,052 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Kent as 355th with 17,681 people. 8

Migration of the Kent family to Ireland

Some of the Kent family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Kent migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Kent were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Kent Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Kent Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Kent Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Kent Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Kent migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kent Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
Kent Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Kent Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Kent migration to Australia +

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

Kent Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Kent migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kent Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Kent 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. 19
Kent Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Kent (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Kent +
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