Cummings Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Cummings last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Cummings last name
Meaning of the Cummings last name: from the Norman Comyn family. Cummings comes from the Norman family of Comyn, who came to Scotland in the Middle Ages and rose to become one of the most powerful families in the kingdom. Their rivalry with Robert the Bruce ended in a famous clash that changed Scottish history. A curious detail: after their fall the name spread widely as Cumming in the north-east, and Cummings became the usual American form.
Arms associated with the Cummings name
A curious Scottish detail: heraldry there is still governed by its own court, and the arms tied to the Cummings name follow its old rules.
Get your full Cummings family history
This is only a glimpse of the Cummings story. The full Cummings history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Cummings coat of arms. Get the full Cummings report.
Cummings name FAQ
What does the Cummings name mean?
From the Norman Comyn family. Common variants include Cumming, Comyn, Cummins.
Where does the Cummings surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, England and Canada.
Is there a Cummings coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Cummings coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.