Karn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Wales

The surname Karn is derived from the Welsh word "karn," which means "a pile of stones," such as was often used to mark a burial site. The forebears that initially bore the name Karn likely lived by a notable heap of stones.

There may be a ancient Norman connection to the name as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae notes "Robert and Geoffry le Caron, Normandy, 1180-95." 1

Early Origins of the Karn family

The surname Karn was first found in Glamorganshire (Welsh: Sir Forgannwg), a region of South Wales, anciently part of the Welsh kingdom of Glywysing, where the "family claim descent from Ithel, King of Ghent, now Monmouthshire. Thomas o'r Gare, youngest son of Ithel, King of Ghent, was brought up at one of his father's seats called Pencarne (from pen, the head, and carne, a rock, a heap of stones), whence he was named Game, which continues the surname of the family." 2 3

Early History of the Karn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Karn research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1561 is included under the topic Early Karn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Karn Spelling Variations

There are relatively few surnames native to Wales, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. Early variations of Welsh surnames can be explained by the fact that very few people in the early Middle Ages were literate. Priests and the few other literate people were responsible for recording names in official documents. And because most people could not specific how to properly record their names it was up to the individual recorder of that time to determine how a spoken name should be recorded. Variations due to the imprecise or improper recording of a name continued later in history when names originally composed in the Brythonic Celtic, language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, were transliterated into English. Welsh names that were documented in English often changed dramatically since the native language of Wales, which was highly inflected, did not copy well. Occasionally, however, spelling variations were carried out according to an individual's specific design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by minor variations. The spelling variations of the name Karn have included Carn, Carne and others.

Early Notables of the Karn family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Karn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Karn Ranking

In the United States, the name Karn is the 12,195^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Karn migration to the United States +

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Karn were found:

Karn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michel Karn, who landed in New York in 1709 5
Urik William Karn, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 5
Margaret Karn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 5
John Simon Karn, aged 25, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
George Jacob Karn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1755 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Karn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Karn, aged 29, who landed in Missouri in 1841 5
William Karn, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5
George Karn, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Karn (post 1700) +

Dan E. Karn (1890-1969), American Republican politician, President, Consumers Power Company, 1950-60; Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Jackson County 1st District, 1961-62 6

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html