King (surname)

King is an English surname. It is also an Anglicized form of the German surname Küng (also König, Koenig and other forms), which in many German dialects is pronounced like king. This originally German form is widespread among American Mennonites and Amish.^[1]

Pronunciation/kɪŋ/

LanguageEnglish

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King
Pronunciation	/kɪŋ/
Language	English

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Origins and variants

The English name may be related to the Old English word for a tribal leader, cyning, which derives from the Proto-Germanic kuningaz.^[2]

The origins of the King surname date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain.^{[citation needed]}

People

Disambiguation of common names with this surname

Academics

Georgiana Goddard King (1871–1939), American Hispanist and medievalist
Karen Leigh King (born 1954), American historian of religion and professor
Kenneth King (academic), British historian and Africanist
Lida Shaw King (1868–1932), American classicist and college dean
Ursula King (academic) (born 1938) German theologian and scholar of religion

Arts and music

Aja Naomi King (born 1985), American actress
Albert King (1923–1992), American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter
Allyn King (1899–1930), American stage and film actress
Alexander King (author) (1899–1965), American author, U.S. humorist, memoirist, and TV personality
Amanda King (filmmaker), Australian filmmaker
B.B. King (1925–2015), American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter
Ben E. King (1938–2015), American singer
Bertie King (1912–1981), Jamaican jazz and mento musician
Betty Jackson King (1928–1994), American musician and composer
Bianca King (born 1985), Filipina actor
Bill King (1927–2005), American radio announcer
Bobby King (musician) (1941–1983), American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter
Brett King (1920–1999), American actor and businessman
Carole King, American singer and songwriter
Clydie King (1943–2019), American R&B singer, member of Ray Charles' backing group The Raelettes
Diana King (born 1970), Jamaican singer
Dennis King (actor), actor
Dorothy King (artist), British painter
Earl King (1934–2003), American blues singer-songwriter
Earline Heath King (1913–2011), American sculptor
Emeline King (born 1957), American industrial designer, author
Emmett King (1865–1953), American actor
Fay King (cartoonist) (1889–1972), American newspaper cartoonist
Freddie King (1934–1976), American blues guitarist
Georgia King, actress
Hannah T. King (1808–1886), British-American writer
Hayward Ellis King (1928–1990), American visual artist and curator
Héctor King (born 1982), Mexican recording artist
Henry King (director) (1886–1982), American film director
Inge King (1915–2016), German-born Australian sculptor
Jasmina Jazzy King, German-English singer
Jesse King (musician), Nigerian musician
Jessie Marion King, Scottish painter and illustrator
Jean Paul King, American announcer and actor
Jonathan King, British musician and record producer
Jonathan King (film director), New Zealand film director
Jon King (born 1955), English singer, musician, songwriter, and art director
Jon King (1963–1995), American actor and model
Kerry King (born 1964), American rock musician
Mabel King (1932–1999), American film, stage, and television actor
Marcia Gygli King (1931–2011), American artist
Margaret King (painter), 18th-century British artist
Michelle King (born 1958), American TV writer and producer
Mollie King (born 1987), British singer
Nika King, American comedian and actress
Pee Wee King (1914–2000), American country music singer
Regina King (born 1971), American actor
Rowena King (born 1970), British actor
Ruby King, German-English singer
Sidney E. King (1906–2002), American painter
Solomon King (1930–2005), American singer
Teddi King (1929–1977), American jazz and pop vocalist
Wayne King (1901–1985), American musician, singer, songwriter and orchestral leader
Wright King (1923–2018), American actor

Military

Cecil Frederick King (1899–1919), British fighter ace
Elwyn Roy King (1894–1941), Australian World War I fighter ace
Ernest J. King (1878–1956), US Navy fleet admiral, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet, and Chief of Naval Operations during World War II

Politics and government

Adam King (congressman) (1783–1835), former US Representative from Pennsylvania
Alveda King (born 1951), American politician and minister
Angela King (diplomat) (1938–2007), Jamaican diplomat
Angus King (born 1944), U.S. senator and former governor of Maine
Bruce King (1924–2009), former governor of New Mexico
Carroll F. King (1924–2010), American politician and businessman
Coretta Scott King (1927–2006), American civil rights leader and widow of Martin Luther King Jr.
Dick King (politician) (1934–2018), American politician
Dwayne A. King (born 1939), American politician
Frederick King (politician) (1923–2016), Canadian House of Commons member
Lawrence E. King Jr. (born 1944), American politician and banker
Leslie Lynch King Jr. (1913–2006), birth name of Gerald Ford, former president of the United States
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968), American civil rights leader
Owen King (Wisconsin) (1845–1932), American politician and businessman
Ralph E. King (1902–1974), American physician and Louisiana state senator
Thérèse King (1934–2015), Senegalese politician
Thomas Starr King (1824–1864), American Universalist and Unitarian minister influential in California politics during the American Civil War.
William Lyon Mackenzie King (1874–1950), 10th prime minister of Canada

Science

Elizabeth O. King (1912–1966), American microbiologist
Jackie King (1945–2025), British-born South African hydrologist
Leonard William King (1869–1919), English archaeologist
Lester Charles King (1907–1989), English geomorphologist
R. Bruce King, American inorganic chemist
Victor L. King (1886–1958), American chemist

Sports

Adam King (footballer) (born 1995), Scottish footballer
Alex King (basketball) (born 1985), German basketballer
Barry King (decathlete) (1945–2021), British Olympic decathlete, corporate director and author
Barry King (tennis) (born 1985), Irish tennis player
Bernard King (born 1956), American basketball player
Billie Jean King (born 1943), American tennis player
Brandon King (cricketer), Jamaican and West Indies cricket player
Bryan King (baseball) (born 1996), American baseball player
Cathy King, Canadian curler
Collis King, former West Indian cricketer
Dana M. King, American college sports coach
Darian King (born 1992), Barbadian tennis player
D'Eriq King (born 1997), American football player
Desmond King (American football) (born 1994), American football player
D. J. King (born 1984), Canadian professional ice hockey player
Dick King (American football) (1895–1930), American football player
Dolly King (1916–1969), American basketball player
Don King (boxing promoter) (born 1931), American boxing promoter
Don King (photographer) (born 1960), American surfing photographer
Dwight King (born 1989), Canadian professional ice hockey player
Emmit King (1959–2021), American sprinter
Ernie King (1903–1993), English footballer who played for Southampton
Evan King (born 1992), American tennis player
Fay King (American football) (1922–1983), American football player
Frances King (cricketer) (1980–2003), cricketer from New Zealand
Frederick King (cricketer) (1850–1893), English cricketer
Gayl King, Canadian darts player
Gordon King, American football player
Hannah King (rugby union) (born 2004), rugby player
Haynes King (born 2001), American football player
Jim King, American baseball player
John King (baseball), American baseball player
John King (racing driver), American NASCAR driver
John King (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1940s
Jordan King, British IndyCar driver
Joshua King (footballer, born 1992) (born 1992), Norwegian footballer
Kim King (American football), American college football player
Lamar King (born 1975), American football player
Laurence Eastern "Laurie" King (1908–1992), Australian rules footballer
Ledley King (born 1980), English footballer
Liatu King (born 2002), American basketball player
Lilly King (born 1997), American swimmer
Louis King (basketball) (born 1999), American basketball player
Marlon King (born 1980), Jamaican footballer
Reggie King (born 1957), American basketball player
Sam King (golfer) (1911–2003), professional golfer
Savannah King (soccer) (born 2005), American soccer player
Savannah King (swimmer) (born 1992), Canadian freestyle swimmer
Seaver King (born 2003), American baseball player
Shaun King (American football), American football player and sports commentator
Shawn King (basketball), (born 1982), Saint Vincent and the Grenadines basketball player
Stacy-Ann King (born 1983) former West Indies Women's Cricketer
Syd King (1873–1933), English footballer and manager
Vania King (born 1989), American tennis player
W. J. King (1864–1934), American college football coach

Writing

Basil King (1859–1928), Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer
Dawn King (born 1978), British playwright and screenwriter
Florence King (1936–2016), American novelist, essayist and columnist
Frances King (philanthropist) (1757–1821), writer and philanthropist
Francis King (1923–2011), British novelist, poet and short story writer
Grace King, American author
Hannah T. King (1808–1886), British-American writer and pioneer
Jessie Margaret King (1862–?), Scottish essayist, journalist and poet
Michelle King (journalist), journalist and women's rights activist
Rax King, American writer
Stephen King (born 1947), American horror author

Other

Beverly Sedgwick King (1876–1935), philatelist of New York City
Deborah G. King (1839–1922) American temperance activist and suffragist
Ginevra King (1898–1980), American socialite
Jean Ledwith King (1924–2021), American activist
Kelly King (born 1948), American businesswoman
Michelle King (educator) (1961–2019), American educator
Richard D. King (1879–1945), American architect
Rodney King (1965–2012), American man beaten by Los Angeles police
Walter Gawen King (1851–1935), British Indian army physician and public health pioneer
Willford I. King, American statistician and economist

Fictional characters

Amanda King, in the television series Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Raj King, in the British web series Corner Shop Show
Tara King, in The Avengers television series