Show ContentsKinder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Kinder was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Kinder family lived in Kinder, Derbyshire. The surname of Kinder was a local name which means of Kinder, a hamlet in the parish of Glossop, Derbyshire, near Chapel-en-le-Frith.

Early Origins of the Kinder family

The surname Kinder was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Kinder, a small hamlet originally called Chendre before the taking of the Domesday Book census, a survey initiated by Duke William of Normandy in 1086 after his defeat of the English at Hastings in 1066. Kinder is a hamlet near the Kinder Scout, the highest and best known mountain in the Peak District of Derbyshire, and is often called 'The Peak'. At the time of the taking of the Domesday Book, 1 the hamlet of Kinder was "King's Land."

Early History of the Kinder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinder research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1597 is included under the topic Early Kinder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinder Spelling Variations

Endless spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Kinder, Kynder, Chinder, Chendre, Kender, Kyender and others.

Early Notables of the Kinder family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Phillip Kinder (born 1597), and English writer from Nottinghamshire...

Kinder Ranking

In the United States, the name Kinder is the 2,702nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 2


Kinder migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious persecution within England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Kinder or a variant listed above:

Kinder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Francis Kinder, who landed in Virginia in 1657 3
  • Thomas Kinder, who landed in Virginia in 1657 3
  • William Kinder, who settled in Maryland in 1699
Kinder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Kinder, who landed in Virginia in 1714 3
  • Peter Kinder, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
  • Caspar and George Kinder, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738
  • Geor Kinder, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
  • Hans Adam Kinder, aged 24, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Kinder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Theobald Kinder, aged 40, who arrived in Missouri in 1845 3
  • W R Kinder, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
  • H Kinder, who landed in New York, NY in 1881 3
  • Johannes Kinder, who arrived in Arkansas in 1890 3
  • Theodor, Maria and Gottholi Kinder all of whom, who arrived in New York City in 1893

Kinder migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kinder Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Johan Kinder, who landed in Manitoba in 1874

Kinder migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kinder Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Harriett Kinder who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 31st December 1831, arriving in New South Wales 4
  • Mr. James Kinder, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • John Kinder, aged 17, a labouer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland"

Kinder 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:

Kinder Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Kinder, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Northfleet" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Via Wellington and Lyttleton in February 1854 6
  • Mr. H. Kinder, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Northfleet" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Via Wellington and Lyttleton in February 1854 6
  • John Kinder, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" in 1855 6
  • Mary Kinder, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" in 1855 6
  • Rev. John Kinder, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Joseph Fletcher" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 17th October 1855 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kinder (post 1700) +

  • Gary Kinder (1962-1988), American Olympian at the 1988 Summer Olympics
  • Charles Alfonso Kinder II (b. 1946), American novelist
  • Richard Kinder (b. 1944), American CEO and Chairman of the Board of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, an energy and pipeline corporation
  • Peter Kinder (b. 1954), American politician, elected lieutenant governor of Missouri in 2004
  • Ellis Raymond Kinder (1914-1968), American professional baseball player
  • John Kinder (1819-1903), English-born, New Zealand Anglican clergyman, teacher, artist and photographer
  • Mr. David Kinder C.B.E., British Alternate Executive Director for the UK for World Bank Group, was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for public service and services to Mental Wellbeing 7
  • Manfred Kinder (b. 1938), West German gold, three-time silver and two-time bronze medalist from Königsberg
  • Captain Edward Kinder Bradbury VC (1881-1914), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • John Kinder Labatt (1803-1866), Irish-Canadian businessman and founder of the Labatt Brewing Company

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Richard Kinder, British Midshipman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 8


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists
  8. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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