KloseGerman, Silesian From a Silesian short form of the given name Nikolaus. A notable bearer is the German former soccer player Miroslav Klose (1978-).
KlostermannGerman Combination of "kloster" meaning "monastery," and common German suffix Mann.
KloudaCzech From Kloud, a vernacular short form of the Latin personal name Claudius (see Claud).
KlugGerman (Austrian) First recorded in the early 14th century in present-day Austria (southeastern region of the Holy Roman Empire at that time). The surname was derived from the ancient Germanic word kluoc meaning "noble" or "refined".... [more]
KlutzGerman The ancient and distinguished German surname Klutz is derived from the old Germanic term "Klotz," meaning "awkward, clumsy." The name was most likely initially bestowed as a nickname, either on someone who was clumsy or in an ironic way on someone who was exceptionally graceful.
KluverGerman From the word kluven meaning "split wooden block". It used to refer to bailiffs.
KmetSlovene, Serbian, Croatian, Slovak Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, and Slovak status name for a type of peasant. In Slovenia this denoted a peasant who had his own landed property. In Serbia and elsewhere it was a status name for a feudal peasant farmer who cultivated the land of his lord instead of paying rent or doing military service... [more]
KnabeGerman German status name for a young man or a page, from Middle High German knabe (English knave). In aristocratic circles this term denoted a page or squire (a youth destined to become a knight), while among artisans it referred to a journeyman’s assistant or (as a short form of Lehrknabe) ‘apprentice’... [more]
KnapkeGerman A relative of mine has said this surname means “over the hill” and that it is of German origin.... [more]
KnappGerman Occupational name from the German word Knapp or Knappe, a variant of Knabe "young unmarried man". In the 15th century this spelling acquired the separate, specialized meanings "servant", "apprentice", or "miner"... [more]
KnappEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a hillock, Middle English "nappe, Old English cnæpp, or habitational name from any of the several minor places named with the word, in particular Knapp in Hampshire and Knepp in Sussex.
KnauerGerman (Silesian) Nickname for a gnarled person, from Middle High German knur(e) 'knot', 'gnarl'. habitational name for someone from either of two places in Thuringia called Knau.
KnausGerman Comes from Middle High German knuz ‘proud’, ‘arrogant’, ‘daring’, hence a nickname for a haughty person. In Württemberg knaus (and in Switzerland knus) also meant ‘gnarl’, hence a nickname for a short, fat, gnarled person; topographic name for someone living on a hillock, from knaus ‘hillock’ in the Swabian and Alemannic dialects of German
KnechtGerman, German (Swiss), Dutch From the occupation of a servant and a journeyman from Middle High German kneht Middle Low German and Middle Dutch knecht "knight's assistant" also "lad, servant"... [more]
KneenManx Manx cognate of the Gaelic surname Mac Niadháin, itself derived from the Gaelic personal name Nia meaning "champion." It may also be a corruption of the surname McNiven (Anglicized form of Mac Cnáimhín).
KnickGerman German: from Knick “hedge”, “boundary”, hence a topographic name for someone living near a hedge or hedged enclosure or a metonymic occupational name for someone who lays hedges. Hedging is a characteristic feature of the pastureland of Holstein, Mecklenburg, Westphalia, and Lower Saxony.
KnickerbockerDutch (Anglicized) Americanized spelling of the Dutch occupational name Knickerbacker "marble baker", i.e., a baker of children's clay marbles. This lowly occupation became synonymous with the patrician class in NYC through Washington Irving's attribution of his History of New York (1809) to a fictitious author named Diedrich Knickerbocker... [more]
KnieSwiss A famous bearer is the Knie family, a Swiss circus dynasty that founded it in 1803. Today the circus is an enterprise with about 200 employees, operated by Frédy and Franco Knie and it is famous worldwide.
KnightonEnglish English surname which was derived from a place name composed of the Old English elements cnihta meaning "servant, retainer" (genitive plural of cniht) and tun "enclosure, settlement".
KnipeEnglish The lineage of the name Knipe begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived on the peak of a hill or highland. The surname Knipe is primarily familiar in the regions of Lancashire and Westmoreland.... [more]
KnobelGerman, German (Swiss), Yiddish Derived from the Middle High German knübel probably a nickname for a fat person or in the sense "ankle". However the term also denotes a rounded elevation and may therefore also be a topographic name for someone who lived by a knoll... [more]
KnockEnglish Topographic name for someone living by a hill, from Middle English knocke "hill" (Old English cnoc).
KnodelGerman dweller near a hilltop; descendant of Knut (hill, or white-haired); a lumpish, thickset person.
KnoedlerGerman Occupational name, probably for someone who made dumplings, from an agent derivative of Middle High German knödel.
KnollEnglish, German, Jewish English and German topographic name for someone living near a hilltop or mountain peak, from Middle English knolle ‘hilltop’, ‘hillock’ (Old English cnoll), Middle High German knol ‘peak’... [more]
KnopflerEnglish, German Derived from Knopf (German for "button"), this surname was originally given to button makers or button sellers. A famous bearer of this surname is English musician Mark Knopfler (1949-).
KnorrGerman From a nickname for a gnarly person, derived from Middle High/Low German knorre "knot, protruberance".
KnowlesIrish As an Irish surname it is an anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Tnúthghail meaning "descendant of Tnúthgal", a given name composed of the elements tnúth "desire, envy" and gal "valor".
KnowltonEnglish Habitational name from either of two places so named, one in Dorset and the other in Kent.
KnucklesEnglish Possibly a nickname for someone with prominent knuckles.
KoKorean There is only one Chinese character for the surname Ko. There are ten different Ko clans, but they are all descended from the Ko clan of Cheju Island. There is no historical information regarding the founder of this clan, but there is a legend which tells of three men who appeared from a cave on the north side of Cheju Island’s Halla Mountain... [more]
KochJewish Koch - which also has the meaning of Cook in German's origin was however not from that meaning. It origins are to be traced in the Jewish ancestory. The original meaning came from the word Star. Amongst the related surnames (with or without bar in front or a ba or similar appended) are: Koch, Kochba, Kok, Kock, Kuk, Coq, Coqui, Cook (as a translation from the perceived meaning of cook) and a host of others... [more]
KoelEstonian Koel is an Estonian surname meaning "weft" and "seal(ant)".
KoelschGerman German from the adjective kölsch, denoting someone from Cologne (German Köln).
KoelzerGerman From a noun derived from kolzen "ankle boots" (from Latin calceus "half-boot walking shoe") hence an occupational name for a boot maker or a cobbler. Or a habitational name for someone from Kölzen near Merseburg.
KohlhaasGerman Apparently a nickname from Middle Low German kōlhase, literally "cabbage rabbit".
KohliIndian Derived from the Khatri clan of the Punjab state of India.
KohlmanGerman This surname comes from the Middle High German word kol which translates into English as coal. However, German Kohl, kol or Kohle also translate into English as cabbage. Middle High German man and German Mann translate into English as man... [more]
KohlstedtMedieval German (Modern) Likely derived from the German word Kohl, meaning “Cabbage,” and a Variation of the word Stadt, meaning “City, town, and/or place.”
KōkaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 紅花 (kōka) meaning "red- or crimson-colored flower", referring to an occupation that involves flowers and rouge powder.
KokiJapanese This surname combines 古 (ko, furu-, furu.i, -fu.rusu) meaning "old" or 小 (shou, o-, ko-, sa-, chii.sai) meaning "little, small" with 木 (boku, moku, ki, ko-) meaning "tree, wood."
KolberGerman From an agent derived from Middle High German kolbe "club, cudgel" an occupational name for someone who made wooden clubs later for an armorer, or a habitational name for someone from Kolben in Württemberg or Cölbe in Hesse.
KoldenGerman, Norwegian From Middle Low German kolt, kolde ‘cold’, a nickname for an unfriendly person; alternatively, it may be a habitational name, a shortened form of Koldenhof ‘cold farm’ in Mecklenburg (standardized form: Kaltenhof, a frequent place name in northern Germany, East Prussia, Bavaria, and Württemberg).Norwegian: habitational name from a farm called Kolden, from Old Norse kollr ‘rounded mountain top’.
KolkDutch "Kolk is Dutch for either whirlpool or canyon. Probably the name refers to wild water."
KolkmannGerman Kolk is an old German word that means '' man who lives by the river'' and Mann is German for 'man'. The name Kolkmann comes from a man who lived by the North Rhine.
KollGerman From the given name Colo or Koloman. Alternatively derived from Middle Low German kolle "head".
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.
KondaJapanese Written with characters meaning ‘now’ and ‘rice paddy’, this version of the name is found mostly in eastern Japan. In western Japan it is pronounced Imata.
KondōJapanese From Japanese 近 (kon) meaning "near, close" and 藤 (tō) meaning "wisteria". The latter character could indicate a connection to the Fujiwara clan.
KoneruJapanese Japanese, Hokkaido : to knead,to mix with fingers, baker, bread.
KongChinese From Chinese 孔 (kǒng) meaning "hole, opening". According to legend, this name was created by Cheng Tang, the founder and first king of the Shang dynasty. He formed it by combining the character for his family name, 子 (zǐ) (his full personal name was Zi Lü), with 乙 (yǐ), the second part of his style name, Da Yi (or Tai Yi)... [more]
KönigsbergJewish Associated with the Polish/Prussian/German/Russian town Königsberg, now called Kaliningrad. This surname was borne by the parents of American actor, writer, teacher, and director Walter Koenig (1936-) before they emigrated to the United States.
KonitzerGerman A German habitational name for someone who lives in various places called Konitz in places like Thuringia, Pomerania, Moravia, or West Prussia.
KonnEstonian Konn is an Estonian surname meaning "frog".
KonnoJapanese Variously written, most usually with characters meaning ‘now’ or ‘near’ and ‘field’. Found mostly in eastern Japan, farther to the northeast it is pronounced Imano.
KonnoJapanese From Japanese 今 (kon) meaning "this, now" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KonnoJapanese From Japanese 金 (kon) meaning "gold, money" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KonnoJapanese From Japanese 紺 (kon) meaning "dark blue, navy blue" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KōnoJapanese From Japanese 河 (kō) meaning "river" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KōnoJapanese From Japanese 高 (kō) meaning "tall, high" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
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.
KõoEstonian Kõo is an Estonian surname derived from "kõu" meaning "thunder".
KooChinese Alternate transcription of Chinese 辜 (see Gu).
KooJapanese Variant reading of Japanese Kanji 神 (see Jin).
KooistraFrisian occupational name for a decoy man, from an agent derivative of Middle Dutch kooye ‘decoy’.
KöökEstonian Köök is an Estonian surname meaning "kitchen".
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.
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]
KörmösHungarian From Hungarian köröm "nail, claw", indicating someone with long or dirty nails, or perhaps someone aggressive.
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]
KornGerman From Middle High German korn "grain", a metonymic occupational name for a factor or dealer in grain or a nickname for a peasant.