King

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ORIGIN AND HISTORY

From the Old English word "cyning," it was originally a nickname that meant tribal leader and was bestowed on a man who "carried himself like royalty, or who played the part of the king in a medieval pageant."^[1] Based on available evidence, the origin of the King family is Flemish, referring to Flanders, which, before 1830, was a separate political unit in northern Europe. The Flemish equivalent of King is de Coninck.

King was also sometimes given to one who led an archer societies and these group leaders may have adopted King as second names when surnames were developing in Flanders in the 11th century.

The American King family apparently descends from the celebrated Flemish hero of 1302, Pieter de Coninck, Peter King. But because records before the 16th century are scarce, the specific proven line of descent from Peter King starts only with Francois de Coninck, or Francis King who was the grandfather of Pieter de Coninck II. Peter II immigrated to America in 1679 with his family. ^[1]

POPULARITY

King was the 896th most popular name in the United States in 2006, according to the Social Security Administration. In 1907, King was ranked 371 out of 1,000 most popular names in the U.S. The name King ranked in the top 1,000 names from 1908 until 1958 when, for the first time, it did not make the list. It then made it again in 1959 but was number 998. In 1962, it was number 1,000, and in 1964 it rose to number 872. It did not appear in the top 1,000 names again until 42 years later in 2006 when it was ranked number 896. ^[1] That is most likely due to pop/rock star Gwen Stefani and her husband Gavin Rossdale, also a rock star, naming their baby Kingston that year.

FACTS

• Burger King is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world with more than 11,200 restaurants in all 50 states and 69 countries and U.S. territories worldwide. ^[1]
• Elvis Presley's nickname is The King of Rock 'n Roll ^[1]
• crazy tidbit number three

NAMESAKES

• King Kong, ape of movies. The first film featuring King Kong was made in 1933 and starred Fay Wray as the blonde female star of a movie being shot in an exotic location where the colossal giant is found.
• King Crimson, 1960s rock band
• All the King's Men, 1949 movie detailing the rise and fall of a corrupt politician, who makes his friends richer and retains power by dint of a populist appeal. Remade in 2005.

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Martin Luther King, American peace and activist, January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
• King Vidor, American director,
• Carole King, American singer/songwriter,
• Billie Jean King, American tennis player
• B.B. King, American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter
• Ben E. King, American singer
• Don King, American boxing promoter

NOTES

OTHER KING'S

King Smith, King Johnson, King Williams, King Jones, King Brown, King Davis, King Miller, King Wilson, King Moore, King Taylor, King Aaron, King Aazure, King Abbey, King Abdullah, King Abella, King Abernathy, King Able, King Abner, King Acheampong, King Ackermann, King Adi, King Adkins, King Aguilar, King Ah, King Ahmed, King Aiken, King Aikens, King Aisha, King Aitken, King Akers, King Akpabio, King Alan, King Albania, King Alberts, King Alexander, King Alford, King Alfredleung, King Ali, King Alivio, King Alking, King All, King Abby, King Abdalla, King Abdul, King Acker, King Acosta, King Adam, King Adams, King Adamson, King Adcox, More results

Author: Kelly Campbell