KollerGerman The name is derived from the Alemmanic word "Kohler," meaning "charcoal burner," and was most likely originally borne by a practitioner of this occupation.
KonitzerGerman A German habitational name for someone who lives in various places called Konitz in places like Thuringia, Pomerania, Moravia, or West Prussia.
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.
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.
KoopmeinersDutch, German Perhaps derived from koop "purchase, buy" and meiners "mine." An alternate interpretation is that "meiners" could be derived from the German word miner.
KoopsDutch, Low German Patronymic from the given name Koop, a diminutive form of Jakob. Alternatively, a variant of German and Dutch Koop.
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.
KorbGerman Means "basket" in German, denoting a basket maker or a basket vendor.
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".
KotenGerman Derived from German Kate / Kote, originally from Middle Low German kote "small house; hut".... [more]
KöthGerman From Middle High German, Middle Low German kote ‘cottage’, ‘hovel’, a status name for a day laborer who lived in a cottage and owned no farmland.
KraaijkampDutch Means "field of crows" in Dutch, from the plural form of Dutch kraai "crow" and kamp "camp, field".
KraanDutch Means "crane" in Dutch, referring to both the bird and the machine. Usually a nickname for a tall or long-legged person, but can also be an occupational name for someone who worked a mechanical crane, or a habitational name from a place containing the element kraan.
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.
KragDanish, Norwegian, German (Rare) An occupational name for someone making collars, or a nickname for someone wearing one. Ultimately from Middle Low German krage "collar".
KrahGerman Nickname from Middle High German kra "crow" given to someone who resembles a crow.
KrahnGerman Nickname for a slim or long-legged person, from Middle Low German krane "crane". Compare Kranich.
KraisGerman, Brazilian Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Greis; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
KrauledatGerman (East Prussian) East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name referring to a barber-surgeon well versed in bloodletting, derived from Lithuanian kraujaleidys.
KrautGerman metonymic occupational name for a market gardener or a herbalist from Middle High German krūt "herb plant; cabbage".
KrautschatGerman (East Prussian) Derived from Prussian-Lithuanian kraucźius (kriaučius in Standard Lithuanian), meaning "tailor".
KrayGerman Variant of Krah nickname for someone who resembled a crow from Middle High German kra "crow".
KrebsbachGerman From a place name meaning "crab stream" in German.
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".
KrengelGerman, Jewish An occupational name for a pastry chef from Middle High German krengel German kringel "(cake) ring doughnut". As a Jewish name this may also have been adopted as artificial name.
KreppGerman topographic name for someone living in a hollow
KressGerman From Middle High German kresse "gudgeon", hence probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish in some way or an occupational name for a fisherman.
KressGerman From Old High German krassig, gratag "greedy".
KretschmerGerman Means "innkeeper, tavernkeeper, pubkeeper", derived from Proto-Slavic *кърчьмарь (kъrčьmařь).
KretzerGerman Occupational name for a basketmaker or a peddler, from an agent derivative of Middle High German kretze 'basket'.
KreulGerman From Middle Low German krouwel "hook, claw; three-pronged fork, trident, meat hook", a metonymic name for someone who made such tools, or a nickname for someone who used them.
KreutzGerman Topographical name for someone who lived near a cross set up by the roadside, in a marketplace, or as a field or boundary marker, from Middle High German kriuz(e) 'cross'.
KreutzerGerman Variant of Kreutz otherwise it indicated that the bearer of the surname lived in Kreitz near Neuss in Germany
KriegerGerman Noun to kriegen, kämpfen meaning "to fight (with words)". Describes a person who likes to argue. A wrangler, a quarreler, a brawler. Literal translation "warrior", from the German noun krieg "war" and the suffix -er.
KriegshauserGerman Probably a habitational name for someone from an unidentified place called Kriegshaus, literally "war house".
KriesGerman From Middle High German kriese "cherry" hence an occupation for someone who sold soft fruits or a locational surname for some who lived by a cherry tree.
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]
KroesDutch, Low German Means "chalice, cup, jug" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who made drinking vessels, such as a potter. Could also be a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a cup.
KröllGerman From Middle High German krellen "to claw", a nickname for a snappish or cruel person. Compare Kreul.
KrollGerman, Dutch Nickname for someone with curly hair, from Middle High German krol "curly", Middle Low German krulle "ringlet, curl", Middle Dutch croel, crul.
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".
KrossLow German Occupational name for a maker of mugs and jugs, from Middle Low German krus, kros 'pitcher', 'ceramic drinking vessel'.
KrouwelDutch From Middle Dutch crauwel meaning "trident, hook, claw", an occupational name for someone who used such a tool, or habitational name for someone who lived near a landmark depicting it.
KruipDutch Means "crawl, creep" in Dutch, possibly a nickname for someone known for skulking about.
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.
KrumbachGerman, German (Austrian) From the name of various places in Austria and Germany, for example the town of Krumbach in the state of Bavaria.
KrumholzJewish, German German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Krumbholz ‘bent timber’, ‘mountain pine’, hence probably a metonymic occupational name for a cartwright or wheelwright. As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
KrummGerman From a nickname, which in turn is from the Middle High German word krum, meaning "crooked" or "deformed".
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]
KrumwiedeGerman Location-based name for people who lived by a gnarled old willow tree.... [more]
KrupskayafRussian, Yiddish (Russified) Derived from Russian крупа (krupa), meaning "grains". This was the last name of Nadezhda Krupskaya, Lenin's wife.
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]
KüblerGerman, German (Swiss) Derived from Middle High German kübel "tub vat barrel", this is an occupational surname referring to a cooper.
KuchGerman German metonymic occupational name for a pastry cook, from German kuchen ‘cake’, or simply a variant of Koch ‘cook’.
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]
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]
KuhlmanGerman Nickname from Middle High German küel ‘cool’, ‘calm.’
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.
KummellGerman From the German word "Kümmel", which means caraway, a spice. Kummell is an occupational surname referring to someone who grew, sold, or used caraway in trade (e.g., a spice merchant, herbalist, or apothecary)... [more]
KupferGerman, Jewish German (Küpfer) and Jewish (Ashkenazic) metonymic occupational name for a worker or trader in copper, Middle High German kupfer, German Kupfer ‘copper’... [more]
KurpjuhnGerman (East Prussian) East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "shoemaker", derived from Old Prussian kurpjuns "shoemaker", ultimately from Old Prussian kurpe, kurpi "shoe".
KurzbergGerman, Yiddish, Jewish From a location name meaning "short mountain" in German, from Middle High German kurz meaning "short" and berg meaning "mountain". As a Jewish surname it is ornamental.
KutschGerman Topographic name of Slavic origin, from Sorbian kut ‘corner’, ‘nook’. Variant of Kutsche, metonymic occupational name for a coachman or coachbuilder, from the Hungarian loanword kocsi (see Kocsis).
KutscherGerman, Jewish occupational name for a coachman or coach builder from a derivative of the 16th-century Hungarian loanword kocsi "coach" German kutsche. The German -u- vowel comes from Slavic (Polish kucer).
KuttelwascherGerman Surname given to those who had the occupation of cleaning tripe. Combines the words kuttel meaning "tripe" and washer meaning "washer". Bearers of the surname typically live in Austria.
KuttnerGerman Originally from a nickname for someone wearing monk robes from Middle High German kuttner "robe wearing monk".
KutzGerman Habitational name for someone from Kuhz, a small village near Prenzlau, Germany.
LaanDutch Means "lane, avenue" in Dutch (see Van Der Laan). Alternatively, could be a matronymic from the given name Lane, a Middle Dutch diminutive of Juliana and other names with similar elements.
LachtrupGerman Probably from a place name using the suffix -trup, related to dorf meaning "village". The first element could be lach "laugh, smile", or a corruption of loch "hole, pit".