The name Kish comes from one of the family having worked as a maker of leather armor for the knight's legs. In some cases the name was used as a trade name for a shoemaker. Further research showed the name was derived from the Old French word cuisse, a type of leather armor.
The surname Kish was first found in Leicestershire, where they held a family seat from early times.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kish research. Another 67 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1327, 1455, 1545, 1576 and 1765 are included under the topic Early Kish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Kish have been found, including: Kiss, Kish, Kyshe, Kysh, Kysse, Cuss, Cusse, Cush and others.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Among the first immigrants of the name Kish, or a variant listed above to cross the Atlantic and come to North America were :