AbeBooks.com. Thousands of booksellers - millions of books.

There are approximately 148,925 people named King in the UK. That makes it the 36th most common surname overall. Out of every million people in the UK, approximately 2,357 are named King.

Region of origin

British Isles

Country of origin

England

Language of origin

English

Religion of origin

Christian

Classification

English
Status Name

Related and similar surnames

Kieng
Kiang
Kin
Kaing
Kine
Kingan
Kihn
Kingen
Keng
Kinger
Kang
Cking
Gking
Kingc
Kinga
Kiing
King's
Kinge
Khing
Kinges
Khiing
Kingey
Kingew
Kingd
Kingb
Kcking
Kingas
Khingo
Kinc
Kinged
Kingbe

The King surname in historical dictionaries

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857)

The primary sense is a head or leader. Gaelic, ceann; Welsh, cun and cwn, a head, a leader. Saxon, cyng, and nearly the same in all the Teutonic dialects.

Arthur, William (1857) An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain.

Patronymica Britannica (1860)

KING. A very common sobriquet in all ages and countries. Classical antiquity affords us the names of Basilius, Archias, Regulus, Caesarius, &c., borne by people wlio, as Camden quaintlj' remarks, "were neither kings, dukes, nor Ca?sars." There are plenty of Lerois in France, and Kcenigs in Germany, who are of no royal descent, and it is only within a few generations that the ' Kings ' of England have emerged from a plebeian grade. The name may very probably have originated in those popular medieval pastimes in which Kings of the Bean — of May — of Cockneys — of Misrule held temporary sway. For their functions see Brand's Pop. Antiq. edit., 1812.

Lower, Mark A (1860) Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom. London: J.R. Smith. Public Domain.

Your comments on the King surname

comments powered by Disqus