King Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

King Name Meaning: Of English and Scottish origin, Taken from the Old English cyning/cyng meaning ‘tribal leader’. This name was often given to a man of kingly qualities or appearance. A man who worked within the royal household may also have been given this name. The Scottish name taken from the Gaelic ceann meaning ‘Leader or Head’.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

King Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the King family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 6,630
Agricultural Labourer 2,310
Labourer 675
House Servant 523
Dress Maker 459
Servant 340
Laundress 312
General Servant 256
Carpenter 238
House Keeper 221
Carter 206
Shoe Maker 196
Tailor 164
Cook 163
Lace Maker 152
Gardener 146
Blacksmith 144
Domestic Servant 137
House Maid 132
Coal Miner 129
Farm Labourer 128
Nurse 112
Butcher 100
Fund Holder 100
Silk Weaver 99

King Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 King 100% 451,625
2 Kinge 80% 583
3 Konig 60% 337
4 Kengie 50% 122
5 Kingh 80% 102

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The surname King is the most popular version of all its varients

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