Show ContentsKekewyck History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Kekewyck is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the settlement of Kekwick in the county of Cheshire. The surname Kekewyck belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Kekewyck family

The surname Kekewyck was first found in Cheshire where they were Lords of the Manor of Kekewich from very ancient times. "This family, long resident in Cornwall and Devonshire, are said to have been of Lancashire origin. There is a township in Cheshire called Kekwick, from which the name was probably borrowed. " 1

"Peamore, [Devon] now the seat of the Kekewich family, was formerly in the Cobhams and Bonviles, Tothills and Northleighs. " 2

Early History of the Kekewyck family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kekewyck research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1550 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Kekewyck History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kekewyck Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Kekewyck family name include Kekewich, Kekwitch, Kekwick, Kekewitch and others.

Early Notables of the Kekewyck family

More information is included under the topic Early Kekewyck Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kekewyck family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Kekewyck surname or a spelling variation of the name include: John Kekewich, who was recorded in the census of Ontario, Canada in 1871; as well as a family of the name Kekwick who landed in North America in 1890..



  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital


Houseofnames.com on Facebook