Show ContentsKish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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.

Early Origins of the Kish family

The surname Kish was first found in Leicestershire, where they held a family seat from early times.

Early History of the Kish family

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.

Kish Spelling Variations

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.

Early Notables of the Kish family

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.

Kish Ranking

In the United States, the name Kish is the 4,666th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1


United States Kish migration to the United States +

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 :

Kish Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mathias Kish, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2
Kish Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C H, Kish Jr., who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Kish (post 1700) +

  • László Bela Kish (b. 1955), Hungarian-born, American physicist and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University
  • Professor George Kish (1914-1989), American authority in geography and the history of cartography
  • Daniel Kish (b. 1966), American expert in human echolocation
  • Joseph Kish (1899-1969), American Academy Award winning set decorator
  • Larry Kish (b. 1941), Canadian former professional hockey head coach of the NHL Hartford Whalers for 49 games


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)


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