Kent Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Kent last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Kent coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Kent last name
Meaning of the Kent last name: from Kent. Kent is an English surname for someone from the county of Kent, one of the oldest place-names in England, from the Celtic name of the Cantiaci people, probably meaning "coastal district" or "border land". The last name is widespread in England and was established in Cork from medieval times. A curious detail of this family name meaning: it carries a word older than English itself.
Arms associated with the Kent name
A blazon is the short formal description of a coat of arms, written in old heraldic French, and arms associated with Kent families are described the same way.
Get your full Kent family history
This is only a glimpse of the Kent story. The full Kent 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 Kent coat of arms. Get the full Kent report.
Kent name FAQ
What does the Kent name mean?
From Kent. Common variants include Kente, Kennt.
Where does the Kent surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Australia.
Is there a Kent coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Kent coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland.