780 Cush members around the world

Cush Family History

In the medieval period and even earlier the holder of this name would rarely have been out of a job. Generally recorded in the spellings of Cush, Cuss(e), or even Kiss(e), the derivation is from the Old French "Cuisse" and referred to the makers of leather armour for the thigh area. The leather had to be particularly thick and strong enough to deflect a spear or sword. A mounted soldier later became known as a Cuirassier if he wore leather, rather than steel armour. The English surname was more properly "Kisser" or "Kissa", but perhaps for obvious reasons this form lost popularity and only four examples are to be found in the latest London Telephone Directories (1991).