Introduction

Kinbarra is the modern form of a girl’s name which originated with an Anglo-Saxon princess.  It was one of the first names to be written down in English, when it was inscribed in runes (reproduced above) on the 7th century Bewcastle Cross in Northumbria.  The name means “royal fortress”, the second element being originally “burgh”.

The information in this website has been collected by Doreen Muriel Kinbarra Agutter and Jeremy Morse (son of a Kinbarra).  Until recently we knew of some 65 Kinbarras from the 7th century to the present day.  Now, thanks to a helpful hint from Michael Andrews-Reading who visited this site, our list has expanded to over 300 Kinbarras, three quarters of them born in the 16th and 17th centuries; on our site we have included a section to help you find your Kinbarra.    We are hoping that other visitors to this site may be able to tell us of more Kinbarras, particularly from 1800 onwards.

In addition to tracing the name’s history, we have constructed our own family tree to show how it has been passed on through 12 generations.  The same must have happened in other families using the name.  We have also plotted the name’s geography, using a map of England to show its known distribution.  We are keen to discover whether it was carried overseas to the British colonies and/or America.

The name itself has been spelt in an amazing number of different ways over the centuries.  The runes above read KYNIBURUG.  The most common later form is Kinborough, but nowadays Kinbarra is more usual.  Among the 132 other variant spellings to be found in the records are Cimborrow, Cyneburh, Kemborea, Kenbarrow, Kenebora, Kimbara, Kimmburga, Kinbarry, Kinberow, Kinboro, Kinburrow, Kingburough, Kingsborrough, Kinsbury, Kymbra, Kynburrough, Kyneburgh, Queenborowe, Quenborow and Quinbro.  Beware the unrelated Irish name Kinvara.  We have also listed all the known surnames that are found among our Kinbarras.         

The future prospects for the name Kinbarra are uncertain.  If you can help us in any way with new information, please use the reply form.