King
Usually a nickname or status name for someone who played the kingly part in appearance, bearing, or local reputation—not necessarily royal by blood.
The #34 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 663 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English, King comes from the common word for a monarch, from Old English cyning “king,” ultimately from a Germanic root. As a surname it was often used as a nickname or sobriquet for someone who acted like a king, had a commanding manner, or perhaps played the role in a pageant or household setting. Some related European surnames have the same sense, such as French Leroy and German König.
History
The surname is very old and widespread in England, and medieval records show it early as a byname rather than a sign of royal descent. Nineteenth-century surname writers noted that it was common in many countries and often arose as an ironic or descriptive nickname. It later became one of the most common surnames in the English-speaking world, especially in Britain, Ireland, and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Surname writers liked to point out that plenty of people named King were decidedly not kings at all; the name was often bestowed jokingly or descriptively.
From the historical record
“the same as Cousin. 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…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named King
- Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968)
- Stephen King (b. 1947)
- Ada Lovelace (1815–1852)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.