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King Family History

King Surname Meaning

English: nickname from Middle English king ‘king’ (Old English cyning cyng) perhaps acquired by someone with kingly qualities or as a pageant name by someone who had acted the part of a king or had been chosen as the master of ceremonies or ‘king’ of an event such as a tournament festival or folk ritual. In North America the surname King has absorbed several European cognates and equivalents with the same meaning for example German König (see Koenig ) and Küng French Roy Slovenian Croatian or Serbian Kralj Polish Krol . It is also very common among African Americans. It is also found as an artificial Jewish surname. English: occasionally from the Middle English personal name King originally an Old English nickname from the vocabulary word cyning cyng ‘king’. Irish: adopted for a variety of names containing the syllable (which means ‘king’ in Irish). Native American: loose translation into English (and shortening) of a personal name such as Cheyenne Vehoeso ‘Little Chief’ which is from a diminutive of veho ‘chief’. See also Chief . Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 金 possibly based on the Foochow dialect spoken in Fuzhou in Fujian province see Jin Chinese: Cantonese form of the surnames 景 荊 敬 and 經 also variant Romanization of the surnames 井 see Jing 1-4 and 6.7: Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 敬 (meaning ‘esteem respect’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Kind, Ing, Kong, Kinn, Kin, Ling, Ring, Kang, Ying, Bing

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the King family from?

You can see how King families moved over time by selecting different census years. The King family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most King families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 936 King families living in New York. This was about 17% of all the recorded King's in USA. New York had the highest population of King families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the King surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your King ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named King. 16% of King men worked as a Laborer and 7% of King women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named King were Truck Driver and Teacher. .

View Census Data for King | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    16%
  • Farmer
    15%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    7%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What King family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3 million census records available for the last name King. Like a window into their day-to-day life, King census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 344,000 immigration records available for the last name King. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 537,000 military records available for the last name King. For the veterans among your King ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average King lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, King life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for King in 1940 was 37, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for King

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