Kęsgailos was a Lithuanian

Lithuanians

Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...

 noble family, one of the biggest landowners in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state from the 12th /13th century until 1569 and then as a constituent part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until 1791 when Constitution of May 3, 1791 abolished it in favor of unitary state. It was founded by the Lithuanians, one of the polytheistic...

. The family traces its roots to the 14th century AD (Buseika is considered the ancestor of the family). Their seat was in the Samogitia

Samogitia

Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...

 and Trakai

Trakai

Trakai is a historic city and lake resort in Lithuania. It lies 28 km west of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. Because of its proximity to Vilnius, Trakai is a popular tourist destination. Trakai is the administrative centre of Trakai district municipality. The town covers 11.52 km2 of...

 regions. Kęsgailos family members had been the Elders of Samogitia

Eldership of Samogitia

The Duchy of Samogitia had been the administrative unit of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1422 . Between 1422 to 1441 it was known as the Eldership of Samogitia...

 from 1412 until 1532.

According to the 1528 military inventory documents, the family provided the biggest number of troops in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania . The family died out in the 16th century.

Name

The surname Kęsgaila comes from the first name of Mykolas Kęsgaila

Mykolas Kesgaila

Mykolas Kęsgaila ValimantaitisMykolas is Christian given name, Kęsgaila is pagan given name, and Valimantaitis is patronymic used as last name. His sons used Kęsgaila as their last name. was a Lithuanian nobleman from Deltuva. He established the Kęsgailos family in Samogitia, where their power...

 son of Valimantas, whose elder brother Jaunutis son of Valimantas was granted the Zadora Coat of Arms in the Union of Horodlo

Union of Horodlo

The Union of Horodło or Pact of Horodło was a set of three acts signed in the town of Horodło on October 2, 1413. The first act was written by Jogaila, King of Poland, and Vytautas, Grand Duke of Lithuania. The second and third acts were composed by the Lithuanian and Polish nobility respectively...

 of 1413. In line with the common practice for nobles' names after the Christianization of Lithuania

Christianization of Lithuania

The Christianization of Lithuania – Christianization of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania that took place in 1387, initiated by the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila and his cousin Vytautas, that signified the official adoption of Christianity by Lithuanians, one of the last pagan...

, after his baptism, the Christian name *Mīkālas (Michael) was added to a pagan Lithuanian name

Lithuanian name

A personal name, like in most European cultures, consists of two main elements: the given name followed by family name . The usage of personal names in Lithuania is generally governed by three major factors: civil law, canon law, and tradition. Lithuanian names always follow the rules of the...

, which can be reconstructed as *Kensgaĭla (from kęsti ("be patient") and gailas ("strong")). His son Jonas Kęsgailaitis, mentioned in written sources in Latin as Johannes Kyensgalowicz, was a bearer of the name as a patronymic

Patronymic

A patronym, or patronymic, is a component of a personal name based on the name of one's father, grandfather or an even earlier male ancestor. A component of a name based on the name of one's mother or a female ancestor is a matronymic. Each is a means of conveying lineage.In many areas patronyms...

, which subsequently evolved into a family name

Family name

A family name is a type of surname and part of a person's name indicating the family to which the person belongs. The use of family names is widespread in cultures around the world...

. Its Polonized form Kieżgajło is most common in Polish

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

 historiography over other variants, such as Kezigal, Kieżgajłła, Gezgajło, Kiezgajło, Kieżgajłło, Kierżgajłło, Kieżgałło and Kieżgało. Kęsgaila (plural

Plural

In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...

 Kęsgailos) is a modern Lithuanian spelling of the original family name.

Family members

• Mykolas Kęsgaila
  Mykolas Kesgaila
  Mykolas Kęsgaila ValimantaitisMykolas is Christian given name, Kęsgaila is pagan given name, and Valimantaitis is patronymic used as last name. His sons used Kęsgaila as their last name. was a Lithuanian nobleman from Deltuva. He established the Kęsgailos family in Samogitia, where their power...
  
   (died 1451 or 1452), voivode, castellan
  Castellan
  A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
  
  .
  • Mykolas Kęsgaila
    Mykolas Kesgaila (died 1476)
    Mykolas Kęsgaila was an influential Lithuanian nobleman from the Kęsgailos family. Together with his brother Jonas Kęsgaila, Mykolas dominated the politics of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for three decades. Mykolas Kęsgaila was Chancellor of Lithuania , regent of Smolensk and Voivode of Vilnius...
    
     (died 1476) Chancellor of Lithuania, regent of Smolensk
    Smolensk
    Smolensk is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River. Situated west-southwest of Moscow, this walled city was destroyed several times throughout its long history since it was on the invasion routes of both Napoleon and Hitler. Today, Smolensk...
    
    .
  • Jonas Kęsgaila
    Jonas Kesgaila
    Jonas Kęsgaila was a Lithuanian nobleman, son of Mykolas Kęsgaila of the Kęsgaila family. He fathered two sons and two daughters....
    
     (died 1485) voivode, castellan
    Castellan
    A castellan was the governor or captain of a castle. The word stems from the Latin Castellanus, derived from castellum "castle". Also known as a constable.-Duties:...
    
    .
    • Stanislovas Kęsgaila
      Stanislovas Kesgaila
      Stanislovas Kęsgaila Jonaitis was a Lithuanian nobleman, son of Jonas Kęsgaila from the Kęsgailos family.Stanislovas Kęsgaila was the Elder of Samogitia , Grand Hetman of Lithuania , castellan of Trakai and Vilnius . His main patrimonial property was in Kražiai. Stanislovas was married three...
      
       (died 1526) voivode, castellan, Grand Hetman of Lithuania.
      • Stanislovas Kęsgaila
        Stanislovas Kesgaila (died 1532)
        Stanislovas Kęstgaila was a Lithuanian nobleman, son of Stanislovas Kęsgaila from the Kęsgailos family. Stanislovas Kęstgaila was the Elder of Samogitia and castellan of Trakai...
        
        (died 1532) voivode, castellan.