Keline History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Keline. It was given to a person who fished codfish and was accordingly named after the fish. The surname Keline is derived from the Old English word keling, which means young codfish. 1 2

Occasionally, the name is derived from residence in the settlement of Keeling in the county of Norfolk. 1 3

Early Origins of the Keline family

The surname Keline was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Chellinge was listed in Yorkshire. Over the years, this place name evolved to be known as Killing or Keeling. 4

In Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, Ælfuine Celing was registered there c. 1095. Later in Suffolk, Robert Kelyng was listed in 1277. 1

The noted historian Bardsley, notes the name is "local, 'of Keelin.' I suspect the Staffordshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire Keelings are of local origin. But I cannot find the spot. The final 'g' is in this case an excrescence, as in Jennings, Hewlings." 2

We did find this interesting passage in the source Baines' Lancashire: "In 56 Henry III (1272), Henry de Lasey granted for his service all that land which William of Keelin and William his son formerly held, and which reverted to the grantor by the felony of William de Keelin." 5 Unfortunately, no other details were provided.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Walter de Kelin and Osbert Kelyng, in Huntingdonshire. 2

Early History of the Keline family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keline research. Another 90 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1240, 1372, 1463, 1482, 1577, 1586, 1604, 1607, 1618, 1619, 1620, 1625, 1626, 1649, 1661, 1663, 1671, 1683 and 1691 are included under the topic Early Keline History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keline Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Keline has appeared include Keeling, Keiling, Kealing and others.

Early Notables of the Keline family

Notables of the family at this time include John Keeling (1586-1649), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1625 and 1626. He was Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme. Captain William Keeling (1577-1619), of the East India Company, was a British sea captain. He commanded the Susanna on the second East India Company voyage in 1604. During this voyage his crew was reduced to fourteen men and one of the ships vanished. On his return, King James I appointed Keeling a Groom of the Chamber, and in c. 1618 he was named Captain of Cowes Castle on...
Another 132 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Keline Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Keline family to Ireland

Some of the Keline 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.

Migration of the Keline family

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Keline arrived in North America very early: Catherine Keeling settled in Barbados in 1674; Andrew and Mathew Keeling settled in Maryland in 1775; Thomas Keeling settled in Virginia in 1635.

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Baines Thomas & William Fairbairn, Lancashire and Cheshire, Past and Present History of Counties London: William MacKenzie, 1867, Digital, 4 vols