Family History and Genealogy Resources by Surname
Kemp Surname Origin
In old English, a soldier, one who engaged in single combat. The name Kemp is derived from the Saxon word to kemp, or combat, which in Norfolk is retained to this day; a foot-ball match being called a camping or kemping; and thus in Saxon a Kemper signifies a combatant, a champion, a man-at-arms. In some parts of Scotland the striving of reapers in the harvest-field is still called kemping.
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
Kemp Surname Meaning and Family Facts
Kemp Last Name Meaning
Search the FREE Ancestry.com Name Dictionary.
There is more to Kemp family history than the origin of your surname:
Start your Genealogy to find your personal Kemp family ancestry. It's easy to get started. Just begin your family tree with what you already know. Learn More.
A Kemp Family History Thought:
'There is no life that does not contribute to history.' --Dorothy West