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![Show Contents]() Keninton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The present generation of the Keninton family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in one of the places called Kennington in Berkshire, Kent, or Surrey. The surname Keninton 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 Keninton familyThe surname Keninton was first found in Kent, Berkshire and Surrey, where they held a family seat before the Norman Conquest. The district of Kennington in Surrey is by far the oldest places on record. "The name is said to be of Saxon origin, there having been a royal palace here prior to the Conquest, whence the appellation Cynington, from the Saxon Cyning, a king. Kennington is distinguished in history as the scene of the banquet, or marriage festival of a Danish nobleman, at which Hardicanute, the son of Canute the Great, became the victim of his own intemperance, or, according to some writers, was poisoned." 1 Early History of the Keninton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keninton research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1222, 1273, 1369 and 1795 are included under the topic Early Keninton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Keninton Spelling VariationsUntil the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Keninton include Kennington, Kenington, Keninton, Kenyngeton and many more. Early Notables of the Keninton familyMore information is included under the topic Early Keninton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Keninton familyThousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Keninton were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Kennington, who sailed to Pennsylvania in 1777 and Andrew and Catherine Kenning, who settled in Mobile, Alabama in 1832.
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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