Origins Available: English,
German
The distinguished surname Kant emerged among the industrious people of
Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the
Flemish and English nations, many
Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same
personal name.
Occupational surnames were derived from the common trades of the medieval era. The surname Kant is an
occupational name for a
precentor, the leader of the singing of hymns in a cathedral or monastery. The surname is derived from the Old Norman French word
cant, which in turn comes from the Old French word
chant, which means
singing or
song. Early Origins of the Kant family
The surname Kant was first found in
Fife where they held a
family seat from very ancient times, of
Flemish origin and arrived in
Scotland about the year 1200 from Flanders.
Early History of the Kant family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kant research.
Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1461, 1700, 1590, 1663, 1651, 1728, 1675 and 1685 are included under the topic Early Kant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Kant Spelling Variations
Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of
spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the
Flemish settlers in
England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of
Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Cant, Kant, Cante and others.
Early Notables of the Kant family (pre 1700)
Prominent in the family at this time was Emmanuel Kant, Philosopher; Andrew Cant (1590-1663), Scottish Presbyterian minister and leader of the Scottish Covenanters, Rector of King's College...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kant family to the New World and Oceana
Early immigration records have shown some of the first Kants to arrive on North American shores:
Kant Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Jan Kant, aged 33, who arrived in New York in 1642 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Kant Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- David Kant, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1805 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - David Kant, who settled in Philadelphia in 1805
- David Kant, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1805
- Christine Kant, aged 31, who landed in America in 1843 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Emilie Kant, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1864 [1]CITATION[CLOSE]
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)
Kant Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Frederick Kant, who settled in Philadelphia in 1905
Kant Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Mr. Peter Kant who was a Seaman taking passenger to Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec but died at Grosse Isle on 11th September 1847 in the typhus epidemic [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 62)
Contemporary Notables of the name Kant (post 1700)
- Edward Jacob Kant (b. 1939), American civil engineer
- Hermann Kant (1926-2016), German writer, awarded the Heinrich Mann Prize in 1967