Kyd History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Kyd surname comes from the Middle English word "kid(e)," which referred to a young goat. The name may have originally been a nickname for someone energetically kid-like, or it may have occupational for a herder of goats.

Early Origins of the Kyd family

The surname Kyd was first found in Suffolk and Northamptonshire, where a William, Ralp Kide was on record in 12th century Pipe Rolls for those counties. An Alan Kydeman was also on record in Norfolk, in the 1275 Rotuli Hundredorum. The Hundredorum Rolls also lists Reginald Kidd. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had three entries: Ricardus Kyd; Thomas Kydde; and Willelmus Kydde. 1

The Pipe Rolls listed William Kide in Suffolk in 1181 and Ralph Kide in Northumberland in 1198. 2

Early History of the Kyd family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kyd research. Another 52 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1430, 1450, 1453, 1601, 1602, 1735, 1775, 1786, 1789, 1851 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kyd History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kyd Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Kyd include Kidd, Kydd, Kidman, Kideman, Kidde, Kydeman and others.

Early Notables of the Kyd family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

William Kyd (fl. 1430-1453), a 15th-century English pirate active in South West England from the 1430s until the 1450s. In November 1453, in perhaps the biggest prize of his career, he captured The Ma...

Migration of the Kyd family to Ireland

Some of the Kyd family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kyd migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Kyds to arrive on North American shores:

Kyd Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Kyd, who arrived in Washington in 1851 3
James Kyd, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1869

Contemporary Notables of the name Kyd (post 1700) +

Steward Kyd (d. 1811), Scottish legal writer and politician, from Forfarshire
Robert Kyd (d. 1793), British Naval officer, founder of the Botanical Gardens, Calcutta in 1764

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)