KontogianisGreek Means "short John" in Greek from κοντοσ (kontos) (see Kontos) meaning short combined with the forename Gianis which is the Modern Greek variant of John.
KontrafourisGreek A surname of Italian origin, from the Italian words 'contra' meaning against, and 'furo' meaning thief. Common in Greece and among the Greek diaspora.
KonzelmanGerman Orginating from Konrad, which is a variant of Conrad, meaning "brave counsel." The second half of the name indicates one who was a councilman or advisor to someone of importance or power.
KooChinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 辜 (see Gu).
KooJapanese Variant reading of Japanese Kanji 神 (see Jin).
KooijDutch From Dutch kooi meaning "cage", often referring to a pen or duck decoy (a plot of land with a pond set aside to lure in ducks). Occupational name for someone who raised or hunted ducks, or who made cages.
KooritsEstonian Koorits is an Estonian surname possibly derived from "koor" meaning both "(tree) bark" and "choir". It may also be a corruption of "kõrvits" meaning "pumpkin".
KöppelGerman (Silesian) Derived from Silesian German Köppel "head" (ulitmately derived from Low German Kopp), this name was a nickname for someone with a visible deformity or peculiarity of the head.
KoppenGerman Patronymic from a reduced pet form of the personal name Jakob.
KoppenGerman Habitational name from any of several places named Koppen.
KöprülüTurkish Derived from Turkish köprü meaning "bridge". It was the name of an influential noble family of Albanian background from the Ottoman Empire.
KorbeeDutch From the French surname Corbé, which might derive from courbet "bent, bowed", a nickname based on a crooked posture or manner of walking, or from corbeau "crow, raven".
KordGerman Possibly a nickname of Slavic origin, derived from an adjective cognate with Polish and Lower Sorbian chory 'ailing, skinny.
KorenSlovene, Hebrew Koren is a surname which has multiple origins. Koren may be a variant of the German occupational surname Korn, meaning a dealer in grain. Alternatively, it may be a variant of the Greek female name Kora... [more]
KoretskiyRussian Name for a person originally from the Ukrainian city of Korets, derived from Russian корец (korets) or корчик (korchik) both referring to a type of ladle.
KormosHungarian Means "sooty" in Hungarian. Most likely a nickname for someone with dark hair or a shabby appearance, but may also be an occupational name for a house painter who used soot as a raw material. ... [more]
KorshunovRussian From a nickname derived from Russian коршун (korshun) meaning "kite (a type of bird)".
KortOttoman Turkish Kort is an ottoman surname from Anatolya,most korts are of ottoman or berber origin,the people with this surname have expressed that their ancestors were aghas(ottoman military or harem commanders)
KortavaAbkhaz Mingrelian form of the Abkhaz surname Кәартаа (Kuartaa) of unknown meaning. During the reign of Stalin, the Abkhaz began adopting the Mingrelian spelling.
KortlandDutch From any of the places in the Netherlands called Kortland, which means "short land."
KorutürkTurkish Means "protector of the Turks", derived from the Turkish verb korumak "to protect". This name was acquired by Turkish president Fahri Korutürk (1903-1987). It was given to him by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey (the verb korumak refers to Atatürk's expectation of Korutürk to preserve his legacy).
KosachUkrainian Means "mower" in Ukrainian, ultimately from косити (kosyty), meaning "to mow". This was the birth surname of LesyaUkrainka.
KostraCzech, Slovak Unusual surname found in Slovakia and the Czech Republic meaning "skeleton" from the word kostra, ultimately from the word kost meaning "bone". In Czech in particular, kostra refers only to the biological meaning of "skeleton" - a skeleton as an independent entity is known as a kostlivec.
KourlitisGreek (Modern) Of unknown origin, bearing the locational suffix -tis, "of, from". Potentially related to κουρλί, "tendril of hair", kouros, "noble boy, youth", or a location such as Koursaroi.
KovaleskiBelarusian Habitational name for someone from any of several places called Kovali in Belarus, or perhaps Kavoliai in Lithuania, named with a derivative of kavalj meaning "smith".
KoyajimaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 紺屋島 (Koyajima) meaning "Koyajima", a division in the area of Gomajima in the city of Oyabe in the prefecture of Toyama in Japan.... [more]
KoyleOld Irish The surname Koyle was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, where they held a family seat from very ancient times.
KozachenkoUkrainian Means "son of a cossack", from Ukrainian козак (kozak) "cossack".
KozakPolish, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian, Ukrainian Ethnic name for a Cossack, a member of a people descended from a group of runaway serfs who set up a semi-independent military republic in Ukraine in the 15th and 16th centuries.
KozamuraiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 小侍 (Kozamurai) meaning "Kozamurai", a division in the area of Kitataku in the city of Taku in the prefecture of Saga in Japan.
KporaroNigerian (Rare) The name Kporaro translates into the English language as "PROGRESS" (literally Kpo which is "Go", Ra which is "OF" and Aro which is "FRONT" in which case the Ra implies "For" or "Of" thus Kporaro is literally "Go Of Front" or more properly "Move Forward")... [more]
KraaijkampDutch Means "field of crows" in Dutch, from the plural form of Dutch kraai "crow" and kamp "camp, field".
KraanveltEstonian (Rare) Possibly derived from Middle High German krane "crane (bird or machine)" and velt "field". Pre-dates widespread use of surnames in Estonia.
KrabbeGerman, Dutch, Danish Means "crab, shrimp", either a metonymic occupational name for someone who caught or sold shellfish, or a nickname based on someone’s way of walking.
KraisGerman, Brazilian Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Greis; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
KrasińskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Masovian village of Krasne, Przasnysz County.
KrasniqiAlbanian The name "Krasniqi" is of Albanian linguistic origin. The exact historical origin and meaning of the surname "Krasniqi" can vary, but it's believed to be related to the Albanian word "kërsenik" or "kërseniku," which means "blackbird" or "thrush."
KrčmarCroatian Derived from Croatian krčmar meaning "innkeeper, tavern owner, barkeeper", which is ultimately derived from Croatian krčma meaning "inn, tavern, pub".... [more]
KreiselGerman, Jewish Jewish family name and originally a nickname for an active or disorganized person, derived from German kreisel meaning "spinning top, top", ultimately from kreis "circle". Alternatively, it could've be used as a nickname for a person with curly hair in the context of "spiral" or "curl".
KrishIndian Shortened form of Krishna or of any other name beginning with Krishna (such as Krishnan, Krishnaswami, Krishnamurthy, etc.), used in the U.S. by families from southern India. It is not in use in India.
KrishnamurthyIndian Hindu name from Sanskrit kṛṣnamūrti meaning ‘manifestation of the god Krishna’, from krisna ‘black’ (epithet of an incarnation of the god Vishnu) + murti ‘image’, ‘manifestation’... [more]
KritikosGreek Means "Cretan" in Greek, from Κρήτη (Kriti) referring to the island of Crete.
KritzmanGerman, Jewish German (Kritzmann): topographic name for someone living near a cross.... [more]
KriváňSlovak Taken from the name of the mountain Kriváň, ultimately from kriv- meaning "bent, crooked".
KrochmalPolish, Yiddish, Hebrew Krochmal (Yiddish: קראָכמאַל, Hebrew, קרוכמל/קרוכמאל) is a rare Ashkenazi-Jewish-Polish surname meaning "laundry starch" (a starch solution in water used to whiten and stiffen fabric)... [more]
KronbergGerman, Swedish German habitational name from any of the places called Kronberg near Frankfurt in Hesse and in Bavaria from the elements krone "crown" and berg "mountain, hill". Swedish ornamental name from kron "crown" and berg "mountain hill".
KroneckerJewish, German (Austrian) Derived from the place name Kroneck in Austria. A famous bearer of this surname was Leopold Kronecker(1823~1891),the German mathematician who worked on number theory.
KronenGerman From German Krone 'crown', probably as an ornamental name. Or a nickname for a slender, long-legged individual, from a dialect form of Kranich.
KronenbergGerman, German (Swiss) Habitational name from a place called Kronenberg (there is one near Wuppertal) or possibly from any of the places called Kronberg (see Kronberg ) from German Krone "crown" and German Berg "mountain, hill".
KruchowskiPolish This indicates familial origin within the Greater Polish village of Kruchowo.
KruczynskiPolish Derived from the polish diminutive of kruk meaning “raven”.
KruisDutch, Flemish Means "cross" in Dutch, a habitational name for someone who lived near a crossroads, a sign depicting a cross, or a place where people were executed. Could also denote someone who made crosses, either the religious symbol or the instrument of torture.
KrukowskiPolish Name for someone from any of various places called Kruki, Kruków or Krukowo, all derived from Polish kruk meaning "raven".
KrumbachGerman, German (Austrian) From the name of various places in Austria and Germany, for example the town of Krumbach in the state of Bavaria.
KrumreihnGerman Possibly derived from Middle High German krum(b) meaning "crooked" and rein meaning "border of a field, margin", and hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a field with a crooked edge, or perhaps a nickname for a farmer who plowed a crooked furrow... [more]
KrzoskaPolish Altered spelling of Polish Brzózka, from a diminutive of Brzoza
KrzyżewskiPolish Derived from the name of any of the villages called Krzyżewo in Poland. A notable bearer is American basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (b. 1947).
KsiazekPolish Nickname meaning ‘little priest’ or possibly a patronymic for an illegitimate son of a priest, from ksiadz ‘priest’ + the diminutive suffix -ek.nickname meaning ‘little prince’, from a diminutive of ksia?ze ‘prince’.
KuChinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 辜 (see Gu).
KubitschekGerman Germanized form of Kubíček. This name was borne by Juscelino Kubitschek (1902-1976), the Brazilian president who founded the city of Brasília in 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro as the capital city of Brazil... [more]
KubravaAbkhaz Mingrelian form of an Abkhaz surname of unknown meaning.
KubrickJewish, Polish Derived from Polish kubryk "ship's forecastle". Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and photographer, widely considered as the greatest filmmaker of all time.
KuchGerman German metonymic occupational name for a pastry cook, from German kuchen ‘cake’, or simply a variant of Koch ‘cook’.
KuchaOkinawan (Rare, Archaic) From Okinawan 古知屋 (Kucha) meaning "Kucha", a former village in the former district of Kin in the former Ryūkyū Kingdom.
KucherGerman Occupational name for a pastry cook from an agent derivative of Middle High German kuoche "cake pastry".
KuchiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth". It is a reference to an event in the Northern and Southern Courts Period, of 3 sons of Takase who became heroes for the south. The emperor of Japan awarded each of the sons a new surname; Oku for the eldest son, Naka for the middle son, and Kuchi for the youngest son.
KuchikiJapanese This name combines 朽 (kyuu, ku.chiru) meaning "decay, remain in seclusion, rot" or 口 (ku, kou, kuchi) meaning "mouth" with 木 (boku, moku, ki, ko-) meaning "tree, wood."... [more]
KuchlerGerman (Rare) Often confused with Küchler a name for a cookie baker, Kuchler is a noble name for an old german family. Kuchler is origined in a city named Kuchl at the border of todays german bavaria... [more]
KudashevBashkir, Tatar, Russian Means "son of Kudash", from a given name of Mordvin or Turkic origin possibly meaning "woman's son" or "wife's son", referring to a boy born from one father and another mother (in relation to his half-siblings)... [more]
KugimiyaJapanese This surname is used as 釘宮 with 釘 (chou, tei, kugi) meaning "nail, peg, tack" and 宮 (kyuu, ku, kuu, guu, miya) meaning "constellations, palace, princess, Shinto shrine."... [more]
KühlGerman, Low German The spelling Kühl results from a folk-etymological association with High German kühl ‘cool’ (Middle High German küel(e), a nickname from Middle High German küel ‘cool’, ‘calm’... [more]
KühnGerman, Jewish Variant of Kuhn or from German kühn meaning "daring, audacious". As a Jewish name it is ornamental.
KuijtDutch Occupational name for a brewer of beer, derived from Dutch kuit, koyt literally meaning "beer". A famous bearer of this name is retired Dutch soccer player Dirk Kuijt (1980-), also known as Dirk Kuyt.
KuilartDutch Derived from Dutch kuil "pit, hole in the ground", probably part of a toponym.
KukavaGeorgian (Rare), Mingrelian (Rare) Not much is known about the meaning of the Mingrelian last name "Kukava" (Mingrelia being a province in Georgia), but it is recorded that the surname was possibly Apsuafied somewhere in 17th century, being turned into "Kukaa" (-aa is usually an Apsuan surname suffix) and then re-Mingrelifying some decades later back to its current form - "Kukava." The earliest known person with the last name dates back to 17th century, his name being Ivana Kuka, a Mingrelian male who lived in the Abkhazia province of Georgia.
KukowskiPolish Habitational name for someone from a place called Kukowo in Wlolawek voivodeship or Kuków in Bielsko-Biala voivodeship, named with kuk, the cry of the cuckoo.