KirtzGerman Patronymic form of Gero or Gier, pet forms of names containing the Old High German elements ger "spear" or giri "desire, greed".
KirwanIrish From Gaelic Ó Ciardhubháin meaning "descendant of Ciardhubhán", a given name composed of the elements ciar "dark" and dubh "black" combined with a diminutive suffix.
KissackManx Manx and Derry Irish form of "McIsaac"
KisselGerman From a pet form of the Germanic personal name Gisulf.
KissingerGerman HouseofNames.com: The Kissinger surname derives from the Old High German word "kisil," meaning "pebble," or "gravel." The name may have been a topographic name for someone who lived in an area of pebbles or gravel; or it may have evolved from any of several places named with this word.
KitchenerEnglish Variant spelling of Kitchen. A notable bearer was the Anglo-Irish senior British Army officer and colonial administrator Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (1850-1916).
KitcherEnglish (British) This name derives from the Old English word "Cyta", and describes 'the cat' or perhaps more specifically a wild cat. This name may also refer to someone who worked in a Kitchen.
KitchingEnglish The surname is thought to have originally been an occupational name for a cook, deriving from the Old English word cycen.
KiteEnglish From the name of the bird of prey, derived from Middle English kete "kite, bittern".
KiteEnglish Habitational name derived from Old English cyte "cottage, hut".
KitleyEnglish Derived from a place name in Devonshire, England, and was first recorded in the form of Kitelhey in 1305.... [more]
KitzmillerEnglish (American) Americanized form of German Kitzmüller, literally ‘kid miller’ ( see Kitz + Muller ), a nickname for a miller who kept goats; alternatively, the first element may be from a personal name formed with the Germanic element Gid-, cognate with Old English gidd ‘song’.
KiyonoJapanese From Japanese 清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KiyotaJapanese From the Japanese 清 (kiyo) "clearly," "brightly," "cleanly" and 田 (ta or da) "rice paddy."
KizewskiPolish Polish, variant of Kiszewski a habitational name for someone from Stara Kiszewa (formerly Kiszewa) in Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship.
KjellbergSwedish, Norwegian (Rare) Combination of Old Norse kelda or Swedish källa both meaning "spring, source (of water)", and berg "mountain".
KlaverDutch Means "clover" in Dutch, a topographic name for someone who lived by a field of clovers or a sign depicting them, or an occupational name for a clover farmer.
KļaviņšLatvian Derived from the word kļava meaning "maple".
KleberGerman, English (American) Derived from German kleben "to bind, to stick", hence an occupational name for someone who applied clay daub or whitewash on buildings.
KleffnerGerman Topographic name from Middle Low German clef, cleff "cliff", "precipice".
KleffnerGerman Nickname for a prattler or gossip, from Middle High German, Middle Low German kleffer(er).
KleiberGerman Derived from an agent Middle High German kleben "to stick or bind" an occupational name for a builder working with clay or in Swabia for someone who applied whitewash. in Bavaria and Austria an occupational name for a shingle maker from Middle High German klieben "to split (wood or stone)".
KleindienstGerman Originally an occupational name for a farmhand or laborer, who was second in line to a more highly paid class of servant. Derived from German klein meaning "small, little" and dienst meaning "service, duty".
KleinknechtGerman A combining of the German word klein "small" and knecht "servant", originally an occupational name for a secondary hired hand. A famous historic figure who bore this surname was Jakob Friedrich Kleinknecht (8 April 1722 in Ulm - 11 August 1794 in Ansbach), a German composer of many works of chamber music and symphonies, flutist and Kapellmeister (chapel master).
KleisUpper German, Romansh Derived from the given name Kleis, a South German variant of Klaus. The Kleis settled in Romansh-speaking areas after the Napoleonic Wars.
KlemmGerman Either from Middle High German klem "narrow, tight", a nickname for miserly person, or from the related klemme "constriction; narrows", a habitational name for someone who lived in a narrow area... [more]
KlempnerGerman Means "plumber, tinsmith" in German, originally from Central German and Low German, derived from Middle Low German klampe "clamp"
KlepperGerman Derived from Middle High German kleppern "to clatter, chatter; to gossip", a nickname for a talkative or gossipy person.
KlepperGerman A metonymic name for someone who bred or kept horses, from Middle High German klepper "knight’s horse", possibly derived from kleppen "to strike rapidly, to ring sharply" in reference to bells on their harness... [more]
KlingDutch Occupational surname meaning "blade" in Dutch, referring to a person who made knives. A Dutch cognate of Messer.
KlingbeilGerman From Middle High German klingen "to ring or sound" and bīl "axe", literally "sound the axe", an occupational nickname for a journeyman, carpenter, shipwright (or any occupation involving the use of an axe)... [more]
KlingemannGerman Occupational surname for a knife maker, literally meaning "knife maker, weapons smith". It is derived from German klinge meaning "blade".
KlingerGerman Klinger is a German surname meaning ravine or gorge in Old German. The English variant of Klinger is Clinger.
KlobučarSlovene, Croatian, Serbian Occupational name derived from Serbian, Croatian and Slovene klobučar meaning "hatter" (a derivative of klobuk meaning "hat"), originally indicating a person who made, sold or repaired hats.
KlokDutch From Middle Dutch clocke "bell", an occupational name for someone who made or rang bells, or perhaps for a clockmaker. Compare Van Der Klok and Kloek.
KlompDutch, Low German Means both "lump, block, compact heap" and "clog, wooden shoe" in Dutch, often an occupational name for someone who made such shoes. It could also be a nickname for a stocky or clumsy person, or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a clog.
KloosterEstonian Klooster is an Estonian surname meaning "cloister" and "abbey". Borrowed from Middle Low German "klôster"; ultimately from Medieval Latin "claustrum".
KloostermanDutch Derived from Dutch klooster "cloister, monastery" and man "person, man", given to someone who worked for a monastery or lived near one.
KlopferGerman, Jewish (Ashkenazi) Derived from Middle High German klopfen "to knock, pound, hammer", an occupational name for a clothmaker, metalworker, miner, or hunter. As a Jewish name, it can refer to a shulklopfer, someone who knocks to call people to synagogue.
KloppGerman, Dutch Habitational name from a place called Kloppe.
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).
KluczyńskimPolish Variant of Kluczewski. A notable bearer was John C. Kluczynski (1896-1975), an American veteran who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
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]
KnabenshuemAmerican German This surname is an American anglicized version of the German surname Knabenschuh. It means a "boy's shoe." The word maybe related to the English word "knave," which means rogue, scoundrel, or rascal... [more]
KnafoJudeo-Spanish Likely derived from Tamazight akhnif referring to a type of woolen hooded cloak (a type of burnous). It has also been connected to the Hebrew word כָּנָף (kanaf) meaning "wing".
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 Means "servant, assistant" in German and Dutch, an occupational name for a journeyman or male servant derived from Old Germanic kneht meaning "servant, knight" or "youth, boy"... [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 (Americanized) 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 Habitational name derived from Old Norse gnípa "steep rock, cliff, overhang".
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.
KnolDutch Derived from Middle Dutch knolle "tuber, turnip, lump of earth", a nickname for a fat or clumsy person, or an occupational name for a farmer.
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."