indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from location & from occupation)
Other Forms FormsKempf, Kemp, Kempe, Kemper, Kamp, Kampe, Kamper, Kampf, Kampen, Kamps, Kemps, Kempel, Kempen, Kempkes, Kempka, Kempke, Kampfer, Kempfer, Kempker, Kempees, Kampes, Kempner, Van der Kemp, Van der Kamp, Van der Camp, Kaempfer, Van de Kamp, Van de Camp, Kämpfer, Van Kampen, Kämpe, Campen, Camp, Camper, Kaempf, Kämpf, Van Kempen, Van Campen, Kampner, Kemph, Kemple, Kamps, Camps, Kempfle, Campe, Kamph
Meaning & History
German and Dutch variant of Kemp or Kamp. It could also be a habitational name for a person from any of the various places named Kempen on the border between Germany and the Netherlands (for example the town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the Dutch border), a status name for a peasant farmer or serf, or an occupational name for an official calibrator who marked the correct weight and measures for verification, derived from Middle Low German kempen. A notable bearer is the Argentine former soccer player Mario Kempes (1954-).