The Kindig history begins in Cornwall, a rugged coastal region in southwestern England. Quite distinct from Devon, the adjoining county, Cornwall had its own spoken language until the late 18th century. The Kindig history began here. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames were derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Unlike most Celtic peoples, who favored patronymic names, the Cornish predominantly used local surnames. The Kindig family originally lived in the county of Cornwall, at Kingdon manor. A number of places of this name exist in various counties of England. It translates as the house of the king.
The surname Kindig was first found in the county of Cornwall where they held a family seat from early times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kindig research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 146 and 1462 are included under the topic Early Kindig History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Kindon, Kingdon, Kingdom and others.
More information is included under the topic Early Kindig Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Kindig is the 18,623rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]
Some of the Kindig 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.
Early records show that people bearing the name Kindig arrived in North America quite early: