Kingston

This interesting surname is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is locational from any of the very numerous places in England called "Kingston" or "Kingstone". Almost all of these placenames, regardless of the distinction in spelling, were originally named in the Old English pre 7th Century "cyningestun", settlement of the King, i.e., royal manor. However, Kingston upon Soar in Nottinghamshire and Kingstone in Somerset are respectively "royal Stone" and "king's stone", perhaps from some local monument. Locational surnames were developed when former inhabitants of a place moved to another area, usually to seek work, and were best identified by the name of their birthplace. The name development includes: Nicholas de Kyngeston (1247, Oxfordshire) and Robert de Kingeston (1273, Gloucestershire). The modern surname can be found as Kingston(e) and Kyngston(e). Among the sample recordings in London are the marriage of Thomas Kingston and Marie Starkey on November 24th 1633 at St. Peter's, Cornhill, and the christening of Arthur, son of Thomas and Mary Kingston, on May 23rd 1641 at St. Margaret's, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Alan de Kingistona, which was dated 1175, in the "Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire", during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.