JENKINS EnglishFrom the given name
Jenkin, a diminutive of
Jen, itself a Middle English form of
JOHN.
JENNINGS EnglishFrom the given name
Jenyn, a diminutive of
Jen, itself a Middle English form of
JOHN.
JERNIGAN EnglishPossibly derived from the old Breton name
Iarnogon meaning "iron famous".
JEROME EnglishDerived from the given name
JEROME. A famous bearer of this surname was the American-born Jennie Jerome (1854-1921), Lady Randolph Churchill, mother of Sir Winston Churchill.
JEŻ PolishMeans "hedgehog" in Polish. It may have originally been given to a person who resembled a hedgehog in some way.
JINKS EnglishMeans "son of Jenk", a short form of
Jenkin, a diminutive of
Jen, itself a Middle English form of
JOHN.
JO KoreanAlternate transcription of Korean Hangul
조 (see
CHO).
JOHNSON EnglishMeans "son of
JOHN". Famous bearers include American presidents Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) and Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973).
JOINER EnglishOccupational name for a carpenter (that is, a person who joins wood together to make furniture).
JÖLLENBECK GermanFrom the name of a village in western Germany, itself derived from the name of the Jölle, a small river, combined with Low German
beck "stream".
JONKER DutchFrom the Dutch title
jonkheer meaning "young lord". It was originally a medieval noble designation (not an actual title) for a young nobleman.
JORDAN (2) JewishDerived from the name of the Jordan river, which is from Hebrew
יָרַד (yarad) meaning "descend" or "flow down".
JUNG GermanMeans "young" in German, from Middle High German
junc.
KAHLER GermanFrom a nickname derived from German
kahl meaning "bald".
KAISER GermanFrom Middle High German
keiser meaning "emperor", originally a nickname applied to someone who acted kingly. The title ultimately derives from the Roman name
CAESAR.
KALB GermanOccupational name meaning "calf (animal)" in German.
KALBFLEISCH GermanOccupational name for a butcher who dealt in veal, from German
kalb meaning "calf" and
fleisch meaning "meat".
KALMÁR HungarianOccupational name meaning "merchant, shopkeeper" in Hungarian, of German origin.
KAMIŃSKI PolishFrom Polish
kamień meaning "stone", a name for a stonecutter or for one who lived at a place with this name.
KAPPEL German, DutchName for a person who lived near or worked at a chapel, ultimately from Late Latin
cappella, a diminutive of
cappa "cape", arising from the holy relic of the torn cape of Saint
Martin, which was kept in small churches.
KARDOS HungarianFrom Hungarian
kard meaning "sword". It could have been applied to soldiers, sword makers, or one with a pugnacious nature.
KÄSTNER GermanMeans "cabinet maker", derived from Middle High German
kaste "box".
KASUN CroatianPossibly derived from the old Slavic word
kazati meaning "to order, to command".
KATIRCI TurkishDerived from Turkish
katır meaning "mule", a name for a person who made transports by mule.
KATOU JapaneseFrom Japanese
加 (ka) meaning "add, increase" and
藤 (tou) meaning "wisteria". The latter character may indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
KATSAROS GreekMeans "curly" in Greek, referring to a person with curly hair.
KAUBE GermanFrom the name of the town of Kaub in Germany.
KAUR Indian (Sikh)Means "princess", ultimately from Sanskrit
कुमारी (kumari) meaning "girl". In 1699 Guru Gobind Singh gave all his Sikh female followers the surname
Kaur and all males
Singh. In many instances, it is also used as a middle name with the family name serving as the surname.
KAVANAGH IrishDerived from the Irish Gaelic name
Caomhánach, which means "a student of saint
CAOMHÁN". It was the name used by a 12th-century king of Leinster, Domhnall Caomhánach, the eldest son of the historic Irish king Diarmait Mac Murchada.
KAWAGUCHI JapaneseMeans "mouth of the river", from Japanese
川 (kawa) meaning "river, stream" and
口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth, entrance".
KAY (2) EnglishDerived from Old French
kay meaning "wharf, quay", indicating one who lived near or worked on a wharf.
KEARNEY IrishFrom the Irish name
Ó Ceithearnaigh meaning "descendant of Ceithearnach", a given name meaning "warrior".
KECSKEMÉTI HungarianOriginally indicated a person who came from the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, derived from
kecske meaning "goat".
KĘDZIERSKI PolishFrom a nickname meaning "curly", describing a person with curly hair.
KEEFE IrishAnglicized form of the Irish
Ó Caoimh meaning "descendant of
CAOMH".
KEEGAN IrishFrom Irish
Mac Aodhagáin meaning "descendant of Aodhagán". The given name
Aodhagán is a double diminutive of
AODH.
KEEN EnglishFrom Old English
cene meaning "bold, brave".
KEIGHLEY EnglishDerived from an English place name meaning "clearing belonging to Cyhha". The Old English given name
Cyhha is of unknown meaning.
KEIL GermanMeans "wedge shaped" in German. It was used to denote a person who owned a wedge-shaped piece of land.
KEITH ScottishFrom a place name that is probably derived from the Brythonic element
cet meaning "wood". This was the surname of a long line of Scottish nobles.
KELLER GermanMeans "cellar" in German, an occupational name for one in charge of the food and drink.
KELLOGG EnglishOccupational name for a pig butcher, from Middle English
killen "to kill" and
hog "pig, swine, hog".
KELSEY EnglishFrom an English place name meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name
Cenel "fierce" in combination with
eg "island".
KEMP EnglishDerived from Middle English
kempe meaning "champion, warrior".
KENDALL EnglishDerived from the town of Kendal in England, so-called from the river
KENT, on which it is situated, and Old English
dæl meaning "valley, dale".
KENNEDY IrishFrom the Irish name
Ó Cinnéidigh meaning "descendant of
CENNÉTIG". This surname was borne by assassinated American president John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).
KEREKES HungarianOccupational name for a maker of wheels, from Hungarian
kerék meaning "wheel".
KERNER GermanDerived from Old High German
kerno "seed", an occupational name for one who sold or planted seeds.
KERR ScottishFrom Scots
kerr meaning "rough wet ground", ultimately from Old Norse
kjarr.
KERSEY EnglishFrom an English place name meaning derived from Old English
cærse "watercress" and
eg "island".
KHACHATURYAN ArmenianMeans "son of
KHACHATUR" in Armenian. A famous bearer was the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturyan or Khachaturian (1903-1978).
KIDD EnglishFrom a nickname meaning "young goat, kid" in Middle English, of Old Norse origin.
KIEFER (2) GermanOccupational name for a barrel maker, derived from Old High German
kuofa meaning "barrel".
KIJEK PolishMeans "small stick", from Polish
kij "stick".
KILDUFF IrishFrom the Irish
Mac Giolla Dhuibh meaning "son of the black-haired man".
KILLAM EnglishDenoted one who hailed from the English town of Kilham, meaning "kiln homestead".
KILLOUGH IrishIndicated a person who was from Killough (County Down, Northern Ireland) or Killough (Wicklow, Ireland). The place name Killough means "church on the lake", derived from the Irish
cill "church" and
locha "lake".
KIM KoreanKorean form of
JIN, from Sino-Korean
金 (gim) meaning "gold". This is the most popular surname in Korea.
KING EnglishFrom Old English
cyning "king", originally a nickname for someone who either acted in a kingly manner or who worked for or was otherwise associated with a king.
KINGSLEY EnglishFrom a place name meaning "king's clearing" in Old English.
KINNAIRD ScottishFrom the name of a place in Scotland, in Gaelic
An Ceann Ard, meaning "high headland". In the 12th century a Norman nobleman received a charter of land here from King William the Lion (King of Scots), and was thereafter known by this name.
KIPLING EnglishFrom the name of a town in Yorkshire, of Old English origin meaning "Cyppel's people", from a given name
Cyppel of unknown meaning. A famous bearer of this name was the author Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).
KIRBY EnglishFrom numerous towns in northern England named Kirby or Kirkby, derived from Old Norse
kirkja "church" and
býr "farm, settlement".
KIRCHNER GermanDerived from Middle High German
kirchenaere meaning "sexton".
KIRK EnglishFrom northern Middle English
kirk "church", from Old Norse
kirkja (cognate of
CHURCH).
KISTLER GermanOccupational name meaning "chest maker, cabinetmaker" from Middle High German
kiste.
KITCHEN EnglishOccupational name for a person who worked in a kitchen (of a monastery for example), derived from Old English
cycene, ultimately from Latin
coquina.
KLADIVO CzechMeans "hammer" in Czech, a nickname for a blacksmith.
KLEID JewishOccupational name for a tailor, from Old High German
kleid meaning "garment, clothing".
KLEIN German, Dutch, JewishMeans "small, little" from German
klein or Yiddish
kleyn. A famous bearer of this name is clothes designer Calvin Klein (1942-).
KLOET DutchPossibly from Middle Dutch
cloet meaning "lump, ball". In some cases this was a nickname for an oafish person. In other cases it may have been a name for someone who lived near a sign that had a globe on it.
KLOSSNER GermanDerived from German
Klausner, Middle High German
klosenære meaning "hermit".
KNAGGS EnglishFrom Middle English
knagg meaning "small mound, projection". It is found most commonly in the north of England, in particular Yorkshire.
KNEF GermanOccupational name for a shoemaker, derived from Low German
knif meaning "shoemaker's knife".
KNELLER GermanOriginally a nickname for a noisy or disruptive person, derived from Old German
knellen "to make noise, to cause a disturbance".
KNIGHT EnglishFrom Old English
cniht meaning "knight", a tenant serving as a mounted soldier.
KNOCHENMUS GermanFrom German
Knochen "bone" and
Mus "sauce". It probably referred to someone who worked in the butcher trade.
KNOPF GermanMeans "button" in German, originally belonging to a button maker or button seller.
KOHL GermanDerived from Middle High German
kol "cabbage".
KOHLER GermanFrom Middle High German
koler meaning "charcoal burner" or "charcoal seller".
KOHUT UkrainianMeans "rooster" in Ukrainian, a nickname for a proud person.
KOIZUMI JapaneseFrom Japanese
小 (ko) meaning "small" and
泉 (izumi) meaning "spring, fountain". A notable bearer of this name is Junichiro Koizumi (1942-), who was Prime Minister of Japan.
KOLÁŘ CzechMeans "wheelwright", a derivative of Czech
kolo "wheel".
KOLBE GermanFrom Middle High German
kolbe meaning "club".
KOPECKÝ CzechDerived from Czech
kopec meaning "hill". The name was given to a person who lived close to a hill.
KOPITAR SloveneFrom Slovene
kopito meaning "hoof", an occupational name for a shoer.
KORHONEN FinnishPossibly from archaic Finnish
korho meaning "deaf, hard of hearing".
KOROŠEC SloveneOriginally indicated a person from Koroška (Carinthia), a medieval Slovene state, now divided between Slovenia and Austria.
KOŠAR CroatianFrom Croatian
koš meaning "basket", originally indicating a person who made or sold baskets.
KOSTELECKÝ CzechOriginally denoted a person from a village named Kostelec, derived from Czech
kostel meaning "church".
KOSZORÚS HungarianDerived from Hungarian
koszorú meaning "garland, wreath, girdle", a name for someone who made garlands.