This surname is the patronymic (son of) form of an interesting medieval English nickname which was used to refer to someone who conducted himself in a kingly manner, or a person who played the part of a King in a pageant, or to one who had won the title in a contest. Very occasionally it may have been given to someone working in a Kings household. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century "Cyning", the Middle English "King", which came from the Old English word "Cyn(n)", meaning tribe or race, and originally "a tribal leader". The fact that the name King is so widespread in England is probably due to the fact that the pageants were very popular in most towns and villages, and that the "Kings" were proud of their title. One William Kings married Marie Craley on the 19th March 1618 at St. Brides, Fleet Street, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Aelwine se Cyung, which was dated 1050 - 1071, "Old English Bynames", during the reign of King Edward, "The Confessor", 1042 - 1066. 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.

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