Recorded as Kinder, Kynder and Kender, this is an ancient English surname. It is locational and originates from a hamlet called Kinder near to the town of Glossop in the county of Derbyshire. The area is very hilly with Kinder Scout being the highest point in the famous Peak District National Park. According to the Dictionary of English Place Names it is believed that the village or hill name and hence the later surname, derive from an Ancient British (pre Roman) word which may have been 'chendre' or similar. This would seem to mean 'high point', which is logical but unproven. The surname itself is not surprisingly one of the first to be accurately recorded with Philota de Kender appearing in the pipe rolls of Derbyshire in the year 1273. The early surviving church recordings from the Elizabethan period include John Kynder and Ales Holme who were married at Prestbury in Cheshire in 1576, whilst at much the same time in 1581 John Kinder also recorded as Kynder, of Lincolnshire, appears in the entry register of the University of Oxford. Locational surnames are usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homes. One of the simplest ways to identy such strangers being to call them after the places from whence they came. This name is quite widely recorded, but rarely in any numbers.

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