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Kennard History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Kennard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Kennard belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in the settlement of Kenwood in Kenton in the county of Devon. The surname Kennard 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 Kennard family

The surname Kennard was first found in Gloucestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Kennard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kennard research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086 and 1274 are included under the topic Early Kennard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kennard Spelling Variations

Until 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 Kennard include Kenwood, Kentwood, Kenward, Kentward, Kenswood and others.

Early Notables of the Kennard family

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

Kennard Ranking

In the United States, the name Kennard is the 6,359^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Kennard migration to the United States +

Thousands 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 Kennard were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Kennard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Kennard, who arrived in Mississippi in 1798 2

Kennard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William G Kennard, who arrived in Texas in 1835 2

Kennard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kennard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Kennard, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844
Mr. Simon Kennard, (b. 1838), aged 39, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 4th November 1877 3
Mrs. Mary Anne Kennard, (b. 1847), aged 30, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 4th November 1877 3
Mr. William Kennard, (b. 1870), aged 7, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 4th November 1877 3
Mr. Thomas Kennard, (b. 1872), aged 5, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Marlborough" arriving in Bluff, South Island, New Zealand on 4th November 1877 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kennard (post 1700) +

William E. Kennard, American Democratic Party politician, Member, Federal Communications Commission, 1997-2001; Chair, Federal Communications Commission, 1997-2001 4
Thomas P. Kennard, American politician, Secretary of State of Nebraska, 1867-71 4
Thomas Jefferson Kennard (1791-1866), American politician, Member of Indiana State House of Representatives, 1847-48; Member of Indiana State Senate, 1849-52 4
Joseph F. Kennard, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 3rd District, 1868-70 4
George N. Kennard, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives 22nd District, 1915-18 4
Donley C. Kennard (1929-2011), American politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives, 1953-63; Member of Texas State Senate 10th District, 1963-73 4
Olga Kennard OBE FRS (1924-2023), Lady Burgen, née Weisz, Hungarian-born British scientist who specialised in crystallography, founder of the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre
Helen Kennard Bettin (1887-1983), American author, teacher and volunteer
Kennard Baker Bork, retired American teacher of geology and geography
Kennard E. Goldsmith, American politician, Mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1937 5

Historic Events for the Kennard family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Kenneth Frank Kennard, American Gunner's Mate Third Class from Idaho, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 6

Citations +

"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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html