Kinnon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

Etymology of Kinnon

What does the name Kinnon mean?

The Dalriadan clans of ancient Scotland spawned the ancestors of the Kinnon family. Their name comes from the Gaelic personal name Findgaine. This is derived from the earlier forms Finghin and Finnguine. The Gaelic form of the surname is Mac Fhionghuin or Mac Fhionnghain.

Kinnon Coat of Arms Creation

The Mackinnons have a boar's head with a shin bone in its mouth, which was adopted as their crest in memory of the following legendary incident.

Mackinnon of Strathaird in Skye and six men were out after deer, and when the hunt was over they went into a cave where they roasted some venison. While they were eating it, the mouth of the cave was darkened by a huge boar, evidently ready to attack them. His men retreated to the innermost recesses of the cave, but Mackinnon remained ready to face the boar. Just as it was in the act of charging, he thrust the shin bone down the animal's throat and choked it. Hence the crest. The motto is in Latin " Audentes fortuna juvat " (Fortune favours the daring). 1

Early Origins of the Kinnon family

The surname Kinnon was first found in on the Isles of Mull and Skye, where they held a family seat from early times. This distinguished Scottish Clan descended from Kenneth MacAlpin, King of Scotland who died in the 9th century and were part of the Siol Alpin, a group of Clans descended from the King. They held lands in Mull, Skye and Iona, and were long time Abbots of Iona. They were connected with the MacDonalds and other Alpin Clans such as the MacNabs and the MacGregors. The Clan was present at the Battle of Inverlochy under the Montrose and being of royalist influence they supported King Charles at Worcester. Again in 1745 in Culloden they supported the Stuarts and the Chief was imprisoned in London in the Tower.

Early History of the Kinnon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kinnon research. Another 319 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1409, 1467, 1495, 1506, 1536, 1545, 1557, 1560, 1577, 1586, 1609, 1621, 1662, 1673, 1675, 1681, 1745, 1789, 1791, 1804, 1808, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1826, 1829, 1830, 1836, 1870 and 1884 are included under the topic Early Kinnon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kinnon Spelling Variations

The medieval practice of spelling according to sound and repeated translation between Gaelic and English created many spelling variations of the same name. Kinnon has been recorded as MacKinnon, MacKinning, MacInnon, MacKinnen, MacFingon and many more.

Early Notables of the Kinnon family

Daniel MacKinnon (1791-1836), colonel and historian of the Coldstream guards, born in 1791, was son of William Mackinnon, chief of the Clan Mackinnon. William Alexander Mackinnon (1789-1870) was his e...
On 16 June 1804 he was appointed ensign in the Coldstream guards, in which his uncle, Henry Mackinnon, author of 'A Journal of the Campaign in Portugal and Spain' (1812), who fell as a major-general a...

Kinnon migration to the United States +

Descendents of Dalriadan-Scottish families still populate many communities across North America. They are particularly common in Canada, since many went north as United Empire Loyalists at the time of the American War of Independence. Much later, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the highland games and Clan societies that now dot North America sprang up, allowing many Scots to recover their lost national heritage. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Kinnon, or a variant listed above:

Kinnon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John Otto Kinnon, aged 39, who landed in America from Halifax, in 1905
Margaret Kinnon, aged 3, who settled in America from Glasgow, in 1906
Tho. Kinnon, aged 10, who immigrated to America from Glasgow, in 1906
Jessie Kinnon, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
John Kinnon, aged 32, who landed in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kinnon migration to Canada +

Kinnon Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Miss. Ann Kinnon, aged 18 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Araminta" departing 1st May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but she died on board 2

The Kinnon Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Audentes fortuna juvat
Motto Translation: Fortune favours the bold

Sources +

Polson, Alexander, The Romance of Scottish Crests and Mottoes. Inverness: Walter Alexander, Inglis Street 1929. Print
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 83)