Kinner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The current generations of the Kinner family have inherited a surname that was first used hundreds of years ago by descendants of the ancient Scottish tribe called the Picts. The Kinner family lived in the lands of Kinnear, which lie near Wormit in the county of Fife. 1 The name literally means "chieftain." 2

Early Origins of the Kinner family

The surname Kinner was first found in Fife, from the lands of Kin-near near Wormit. The family descend from "Symon, son of Michael, [who] gave a carucate of land of Cathelai to the church of St. Andrews. His grant was confirmed by King Malcolm IV, and King William confirmed the grant of Chathelach, with common pasture for twenty-four beasts, and eighty sheep, which Symon, son of Michael gave, and his son Alan confirmed. The descendants of Symon took the name of Kinnear, and were the vassals of the Priory of St. Andrews in the lands of Kathlac, etc., which they held till the beginning of the eighteenth century. Reginald de Kener witnessed gift of one mark of silver annually by Alexander, earl of Buchan to the Abbey of Arnbroath, c. 1250." 3

Early History of the Kinner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinner research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1170, 1216, 1296, 1439, 1457, 1477, 1536, 1543, 1574, 1600, 1602, 1782, 1802, 1813, 1814, 1818 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Kinner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinner Spelling Variations

Scribes in the Middle Ages did not have access to a set of spelling rules. They spelled according to sound, the result was a great number of spelling variations. In various documents, Kinner has been spelled Kinnear, Kynnier, Kynnair, Kenneir, Kinner, Kinnier, MacEnir and many more.

Early Notables of the Kinner family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Petrus Kyrior who was elected common councillor of Aberdeen, 1477; John de Kynor who was admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1439; and Adam Kynnor in 1457. 3Sir John MacDonald Kinneir (1782-1830), was Lieutenant-Colonel H.E.I.C.S., traveller and diplomatist, born at Carnden, Linlithgow, on 3 Feb. 1782, and was the son of John Macdonald, comptroller of customs at Borrowstounness, and Mrs. Cecilia Maria Kinneir. "In 1802 he was nominated to a cadetship by Sir William Bensley, under the name...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kinner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinner Ranking

In the United States, the name Kinner is the 18,622^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Kinner family to Ireland

Some of the Kinner 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.

Kinner migration to the United States +

The cruelties suffered under the new government forced many to leave their ancient homeland for the freedom of the North American colonies. Those who arrived safely found land, freedom, and opportunity for the taking. These hardy settlers gave their strength and perseverance to the young nations that would become the United States and Canada. Immigration and passenger lists have shown many early immigrants bearing the name Kinner:

Kinner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Kinner, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 5
John and Elizabeth Kinner, who settled in New York in 1774 with sons Nicholas and Anthony and daughter Elizabeth

Kinner migration to Australia +

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

Kinner Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Kinner, (Thompson), (b. 1826), aged 25, Irish house maid who was convicted in County Monaghan, Ireland for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Kinner (post 1700) +

F. L. Kinner, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Bradford County, 1893-96; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1900 7
Edwin B. Kinner, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1936 7
Kinner Newcomb, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Clinton and Franklin counties, 1808-09 8

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Sims, Clifford Stanley The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames. 1862. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html