Kinsey
An English surname with several possible origins, most likely from a place name and in some cases from an old personal name meaning “royal victory.”
The #2,258 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 19,174 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kinsey is usually treated as an English surname with more than one possible source. Some early writers connect it with place names such as Kilnsey in Yorkshire or, in southern England, with Kingsley or Kingsey, with later spelling changes smoothing out the consonants. Another line of explanation links it to the old personal name Cyne(s)ige/Cynesige, built from Old English elements meaning “royal” and “victory,” which would make the surname patronymic in origin.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers disagreed about whether Kinsey is mainly local or derived from an Old English personal name, and the surname may have arisen independently in more than one place. Bardsley especially thought many southern examples were altered forms of Kingsley or Kingsey, while Lower also pointed to Kilnsey. The name is established in England by the medieval and early modern periods and later spread widely in Britain and overseas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical explanation ties Kinsey to Cynesige, an Old English name that can be glossed as “royal victory.”
From the historical record
“KINSEY 171 1. Bapt. — Elizabeth, d. Francis Kinman : St. Jas. Clerkenwell, ii. 63. 175^. Married— Hill Burton and Eliz. Kinnimond : St Peter, Comhill, ii. 86. London, 0,1,0; MDB. (co. LincolnX o, o, 3 ; Sunderland, i, o, a Kinnard.— Bapt. ; v. Kenward.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)