Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
KensitEnglish A surname of Old English, pre-7th-century origins. It derives from a locality, probably either Kingsettle in Somerset, which translates as "the seat of the King", and is believed to relate to Alfred the Great, or possibly Kingside in Cumberland, or to some now lost village or town with a similar spelling.
KentonEnglish habitational name from any of various places so named Kenton, for example in Devon, Greater London (formerly Middlesex), Northumberland, and Suffolk... [more]
KenwoodEnglish From the settlement of Kenwood in the parish of Kenton, county of Devon, England. ... [more]
KenworthyEnglish (British, Anglicized, Rare) his interesting surname of English origin is a locational name from a place so called in Cheshire, deriving from the Old English pre 7th Century personal name Cyna, a short from of the various compound names with the first element "cyne" meaning "Royal", or, Cena, a byname meaning "Keon", "Bold" or a short form of various compound personal names with this first element plus the Old English pre 7th Century "worthing" "enclosure"... [more]
KenwynCornish (Rare) This surname is derived from the name of a town and river in Cornwall, England (called Keynwynn in Cornish). It is said that the name is derived from Cornish keyn meaning "back, keel, ridge" and gwynn meaning "white, fair, blessed."
KenyonEnglish, Welsh Kenyon is a surname from Wales meaning "a person from Ennion's Mound"
KerouacFrench (Quebec) Variant form of Kirouac. This name was borne by the American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac (1922-1969), who was a pioneer of the Beat Generation, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg.
KershawEnglish It indicates familial origin within either of 3 places named Kirkshaw: 1 in Lancashire and 2 in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
KerslakeEnglish Topographic name for someone who lived by a stream where cress grew, derived from Old English cærse meaning "watercress" and lacu meaning "stream".
KevilleEnglish Denoted someone from Keevil (recorded in the Domesday book as Chivele), a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, probably derived from Old English c¯f meaning "hollow" and leah meaning "woodland clearing".
KeyworthEnglish Habitational name from Keyworth in Nottinghamshire. The place name derives from an uncertain initial element (perhaps Old English ca "jackdaw") and Old English worþ "enclosure".
KhatiwadaNepali From the name of a village in the Doti District of Nepal.
KhayasiJapanese (Russified) Alternate transcription of Hayashi more commonly used by ethnic Japanese living in parts of the former Soviet Union and Sakhalin Japanese residing on Sakhalin Island in Russia.
KhilRussian Russian spelling of Hill. A notable bearer was Russian baritone singer Eduard Khil (1934-2012).
KhooChinese (Hokkien) Hokkien spellig of the surname Qiu. This Means a person who lived near a mound, dune or hill. This spelling is found amongst Hokkien and Hakka families in Southeast Asia
KhouwChinese (Hokkien) Hokkien romanization of Xu 2 based on Dutch orthography. It is more commonly used in Indonesia.
KhuấtVietnamese Vietnamese form of Qu, from Sino-Vietnamese 屈 (khuất).
KidwellWelsh, English The origins of this surname are uncertain, but it may be derived from Middle English kidel "fish weir", denoting a person who lived by a fish weir or made his living from it, or from an English place called Kiddal, probably meaning "Cydda's corner of land" from the Old English given name Cydda and halh "nook or corner of land".
KienbaumGerman, Jewish from Low German kienbaum "Scots pine" originally denoting any species or variety of pine tree. Derived from kien "pine tree" and boum "tree".
KierkegaardDanish Means "farm near the church" from elements kirke meaning "church" and gaard meaning "farm." A famous bearer is Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.
KieslerGerman Topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of gravelly land, derived from Middle High German kisel or Old High German kisil meaning "pebble, gravel".
KiffEnglish the origin of the name KIFF could have come from a variation of KITH as in "kith and kin". The O.E.D. definition of the word KITH is that of a native land, familiar place or home so "kith and kin" meant your home and your relations... [more]
KiffGerman Topographic name from a Westphalian dialect Kiff "outhouse, tied cottage, shack".
KiharaJapanese From Japanese 木 (ki) meaning "tree, wood" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
KiireJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 喜入 (Kiire) meaning "Kiire", a former village in the former district of Kiire in the former Japanese province of Satsuma in parts of present-day Kagoshima, Japan, or it being a variant spelling of 給黎 (Kiire) meaning "Kiire", the name of the district which the village was located in.
KilburgGerman, Luxembourgish "Kyll castle," from German burg (castle) near the Kyll river in Germany. Also "wedge mountain" in Swedish: kil (wedge) and berg (mountain).
KilcommonIrish Indicated a person who was from Kilcommon, Erris, County Mayo in Ireland. The place name Kilcommon derives from the Gaeltacht phrase Cill Chomáin, meaning "church of St. Comán."
KimigafukuroJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 君ケ袋 (Kimigafukuro) meaning "Kimigafukuro", a former large village in the district of Kami in the former Japanese province of Rikuzen in parts of present-day Miyagi, Japan and Iwate, Japan.
KincaidScottish Scottish habitational name from a place near Lennoxtown, north of Glasgow, which is first recorded in 1238 as Kincaith and in 1250 as Kincathe... [more]
KinderEnglish Habitational name derived from a place in Derbyshire, of unknown etymology.
KingsburyEnglish Habitational surname derived from several places in England with the same name, for example in northwest London (formerly Middlesex), Somerset, and Warwickshire. These are mostly named in Old English as cyninges burh meaning "the king’s stronghold", but the last mentioned is cynesburh meaning "stronghold of Cyne" (cyne is a short form of any of various compound names with cyne- meaning "royal" as the first element).
KingsfordEnglish English habitational name from any of various places named Kingsford, for example in Essex, Devon, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. The name ostensibly means ‘the king’s ford’, but the one in Worcestershire is named as Ceningaford ‘ford of Cena’s people’.
KinslowEnglish habitational name from Kingslow in Worfield (Shropshire). The placename means "king's tumulus" from Old English cyning "king" (genitive cyninges) and hlaw "tumulus burial mound hill".
KiplinEnglish A locational surname that takes its name from the hamlet of Kiplin in the English county of North Yorkshire. In turn, the hamlet is said to derive its name from Old English Cyppelingas, which means "the people of Cyppel", as it consists of the Old English personal name Cyppel with the Old English word ingas meaning "people".
KippingGerman German: habitational name from a place named with Middle High German kip ‘point’, ‘peak’ or from Kippingen in the Rhineland.
KippsGerman Topographical name for someone living on a hill, from Kippe 'edge', 'brink'.
KirchhoffGerman An old Norse origin surname. Combination of Norse word Kirkr and Hoff means 'garden'.
KirchoferGerman German topographic name for someone living near a churchyard, or habitational name for the proprietor or tenant of a farm named as "Church Farm", from Middle High German kirche "church" + hof "farmstead", "manor farm".
KirigayaJapanese From 桐 (kiri), referring to the tree known commonly as the empress or foxglove tree, combined with 谷 (ya) meaning "valley," sometimes with the infixation of the historical possessive particle が (ga) (written as ヶ) that is most often used in place names and surnames... [more]
KirigiriPopular Culture This surname is used as 霧切 with 霧 (bu, bou, mu, kiri) meaning "fog, mist" and 切 (sai, setsu, ki.ri, -ki.ri, ki.ru, -ki.ru, ki.re, -ki.re, ki.reru, -ki.reru, -gi.ri, -gi.re) meaning "be sharp, cut(off)."... [more]
KiriharaJapanese From Japanese 桐 (kiri) meaning "paulownia" and 原 (hara) meaning "field, plain".
KirimaJapanese (Rare) Kiri (桐 or 霧) means "paulownia/foxglove tree" or "mist" respectively, ma (間), means "space".
KirimuraJapanese Kiri means "paulownia" and mura means "hamlet, village".
KirinoJapanese Kiri means "paulownia" and no means "field, wilderness, plain".
KirishimaJapanese (Rare) From 桐 (kiri), referring to the tree known commonly as the empress or foxglove tree, 霧 (kiri) meaning "fog, mist" or 切 (kiri) meaning "end, finish; bounds, limits" combined with 島/嶋 (shima) meaning "island."
KiriyamaJapanese Kiri (桐) means "Paulownia/foxglove tree", yama (山) means "mountain". Notable bearers of this surname are Kouji Kiriyama (桐山光侍), a Japanese manga author, Kazuo Kiriyama (桐山和雄) from Battle Royale, and Rei Kiriyama (桐山零), the main character of 3-gatsu no lion.
KirklandEnglish, Scottish Derived from the Scottish 'kirk', meaning church, and land. This name denoted one who lived near or tended to the land belonging to or surrounding a church. A famous /fictional/ bearer is Arthur Kirkland, a main character in the highly popular anime/webmanga Axis Powers Hetalia... [more]
KirouacFrench (Quebec) From an unidentified place name in Brittany, France, derived from Breton kaer, caer, ker meaning "fortified settlement" and an unknown given name.
KirrinLiterature Used by Enid Blyton in the Famous Five book series (first published 1942) for the main character George Kirrin. It is also used as a place name for the fictional village where she lives and the nearby island.
KishinoJapanese From Japanese 岸 (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KishioJapanese Kishi means "bank, shore, beach" and o means "tail".
KishiokaJapanese formed with 岸 (Kishi, Gan) meaning "Beach" and 岡 (Oka, Kō) meaning "Mount; hill; knoll”. So the mean it could be interpreted as “Hill of the Beach” or “Beach Hill”
KishiyamaJapanese From Japanese 岸 (kishi) meaning "beach, shore, bank" and 山 (yama) meaning "mountain, hill".
KiskaddenScottish From the place name Garscadden, which is in modern day Glasgow, Scotland.
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.
KitaniJapanese From the Japanese 木 (ki or moku) "tree," "wood" and 谷 (tani or ya) "valley."
KitanoJapanese From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 野 (no) meaning "field, wilderness".
KitanokoujiJapanese (Rare) Kitanokouji (北小路) comes from kita (北) means "North", Kouji (小路) means "Alley". This is one of the kuge surnames and this surname is very rare. No notable people or fictional characters bear this surname.
KitaoJapanese From 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 尾 (o) meaning "tail".
KitaokaJapanese From Japanese 北 (kita) meaning "north" and 岡 (oka) meaning "hill, ridge".
KiyosakaJapanese Kiyo means "pure, clean" and saka means "slope, hill".
KiyosakiJapanese Kiyo means "pure" and saki means "cape, promontory, peninsula".
KiyoseJapanese Kiyo means "pure, clean" and se means "ripple".
KiyotaJapanese From the Japanese 清 (kiyo) "clearly," "brightly," "cleanly" and 田 (ta or da) "rice paddy."
KiyouraJapanese Combination of the Kanji 清 (kiyo, "clear, pure, refreshing, clean") and 浦 (ura, "bay, inlet"). A famous bearer of this surname was Japanese Prime Minister Kiyoura Keigo (清浦 奎吾; 1850–1942).
KizewskiPolish Polish, variant of Kiszewski a habitational name for someone from Stara Kiszewa (formerly Kiszewa) in Kościerzyna County in Pomeranian Voivodeship.
KleynenFlemish Comes from the town in Belgium. Originally Van Klijnen
KlimaszewskiPolish Name for someone from a place called Klimaszewnica or Klimasze, both derived from Klimasz, a pet form of the given name Klemens.
KlingerGerman Klinger is a German surname meaning ravine or gorge in Old German. The English variant of Klinger is Clinger.
KloppGerman, Dutch Habitational name from a place called Kloppe.
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.
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.
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]
KnockEnglish Topographic name for someone living by a hill, from Middle English knocke "hill" (Old English cnoc).
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]
KnösSwedish (Rare) Derived from the name of a farm named Knorren or Knörren in Sweden whose name is unexplained but possibly taken from Swedish knusa "to crush, to crumble". Knös coincides with the Swedish word knös meaning "rich person", but the surname existed before the vocabulary word appeared in the Swedish language.
KnottEnglish Either from the Middle English personal name Knut, or denoting a person who lived "at the knot", which is the summit of a rocky hill.
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.
KohinataJapanese From Japanese 小 (ko) meaning "small", 日 (hi) meaning "day, sun" and 向 (na, ta) meaning "approach".
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.”