In Scottish history, few names go farther back than Kirkendall, whose ancestors lived among the clans of the Pictish tribe. They lived in either of the settlements called Kirkness in
Orkney and
Shetland. The surname Kirkendall belongs to the category of
habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.
Early Origins of the Kirkendall family
The surname Kirkendall was first found in
Orkney (Gaelic: Insi Orc, “Island of the wild pigs”) the historic northernmost island region of
Scotland, an early Pictish land, which came to be a stronghold of the
Vikings from the 9th century, where they held a
family seat from early times.
Early History of the Kirkendall family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirkendall research.
Another 169 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1391, 1426, 1438, 1678, and 1753 are included under the topic Early Kirkendall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Kirkendall Spelling Variations
The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of
spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Kirkendall has been spelled Kirkness, Kirknes and others.
Early Notables of the Kirkendall family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Kirkendall Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Kirkendall family to the New World and Oceana
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Kirkendall Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- David Kirkendall, who settled in Canada in 1810
- Eliza Kirkendall, who settled in Canada in 1811
Contemporary Notables of the name Kirkendall (post 1700)
- Ernest Oliver Kirkendall (1914-2005), American chemist and metallurgist, developer of the Kirkendall effect