Kingston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The name Kingston is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived on lands or manors known as royal settlements. These royal settlements or Cyninges-tun were located throughout various towns and parishes in England. The surname Kingston originally derived from the place of residence known in Old English as Cyninges-tun.

Early Origins of the Kingston family

The surname Kingston was first found in Yorkshire where they held a family seat from very early times. "The manor-house [of Miserden] is said to have been built with the materials of the castle, and was, with the manor and estates, the property of the Kingston family, and their usual residence prior to the reign of James I." 1 The township of West Thornton in Northumberland was home to another ancient branch of the family. " Between the township and the river Hart is a farm of about 100 acres, which belonged to the Knights Templars, from whom the hamlet obtained the name of Temple-Thornton: this property, on the suppression of the order, was consigned, with their other estates in the county, to John de Kingston." 1

Early History of the Kingston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kingston research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1175, 1519, 1540, 1545, 1552, 1553, 1555, 1556, 1635, 1692 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Kingston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kingston Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Kingston were recorded, including Kingston, Kingstone, Kingstoun, Kingstown, Kingstoune and many more.

Early Notables of the Kingston family

Notables of the family at this time include

Kingston Ranking

In the United States, the name Kingston is the 5,058th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Kingston is ranked the 888th most popular surname with an estimated 4,434 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Kingston family to Ireland

Some of the Kingston 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.


Kingston migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Kingston family emigrate to North America:

Kingston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Kingston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Kingston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Kingston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kingston Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Kingston Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Kingston migration to Australia +

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

Kingston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Kingston 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:

Kingston Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Kingston 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. 13
Kingston Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Kingston (post 1700) +
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