Date
Meaning & History
German surname of several possible origins and meanings.1. a locational surname for someone from the town of Kiel, in Lower Saxony Germany.
2. derived from Middle High German kil "quill", making Kiel an occupational surname denoting a scribe oder a secretary.
3. derived from Middle High German kil "leek; spring onion", making Kiel a nickname for a farmer.
4. derived from Middle Low German kil "ship's keel", making Kiel a nickname for a mariner or skipper, short for Low German Kilmester (Middle Low German kil ‘keel’, ‘boat’ + mester ‘master’, ‘skipper’).
5. derived from the Middle Low German word for "wedge", making Kiel a nickname for a ruffian, a brute.
6. a topographic name for someone living by a long narrow bay or area of sheltered water, from Middle Low German kil ‘wedge’, the word from which the city derives its name.
7. German from a pet form of the personal name KILIAN.
2. derived from Middle High German kil "quill", making Kiel an occupational surname denoting a scribe oder a secretary.
3. derived from Middle High German kil "leek; spring onion", making Kiel a nickname for a farmer.
4. derived from Middle Low German kil "ship's keel", making Kiel a nickname for a mariner or skipper, short for Low German Kilmester (Middle Low German kil ‘keel’, ‘boat’ + mester ‘master’, ‘skipper’).
5. derived from the Middle Low German word for "wedge", making Kiel a nickname for a ruffian, a brute.
6. a topographic name for someone living by a long narrow bay or area of sheltered water, from Middle Low German kil ‘wedge’, the word from which the city derives its name.
7. German from a pet form of the personal name KILIAN.