KalafatovićCroatian Derived from kalafat, meaning "caulker", a type of shipbuilder.
KalameesEstonian Kalamees is an Estonian surname meaning "fisherman".
KalanderGerman Status name for the chairman or a member fraternity that held meetings on the first of each month, from Latin ad calendas.
KalantariPersian Derived from Persian کلانتر (kalantar) meaning "sheriff, marshal".
KalashnikUkrainian Means "maker of kalaches", a variant of калачник (kalachnik) - itself composed of калач (kalach), a type of bread, and the agent suffix -ник (-nik). See also Kalashnikov.
KalashnikovRussian Means "son of the kalach-maker", derived from Russian калашник (kalashnik), a variant of калачник (kalachnik) "maker of kalaches" - kalach being a type of bread - combined with the patronymic suffix -ов (-ov)... [more]
KallmeyerGerman from a Germanized form of Slavic kal "marshland bog" or from Middle High German Middle Low German kalc "lime" and Middle High German meier "tenant farmer" (see Meyer 1) hence a distinguishing nickname for a farmer whose farm lay on marshy land or near a lime pit.
KallweitGerman (East Prussian) East Prussian German (and thus heavily Lithuanian influenced) name meaning "smith; blacksmith; farrier", derived from Old Prussian kalt "to forge; to hammer" and Old Prussian kalweitis "the village smith".
KalogerasGreek From the Greek word καλόγερος (kalogeros), meaning monk.
KalogeropoulosGreek Means "son of the monk" in Greek, derived from Greek καλόγερος (kalógeros) "monk, friar".
KalpGerman, Jewish From Middle High German kalp ‘calf’, German Kalb, probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for someone who reared calves.
KamatIndian, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Konkani Means "people who work in soil" from काम (kām) meaning "work, task, labour" combined with मिट्टी (miṭṭī) meaning "soil, earth".
KambleIndian, Marathi, Konkani Occupational name for a weaver of blankets or a nickname for a person who often carried blankets with them, derived from Sanskrit कम्बल (kambala) meaning "blanket".
KamiNepali From the name of a caste of blacksmiths derived from Nepali काम (kam) meaning "work, act", ultimately from Sanskrit कर्मन् (karman).
KämmererGerman from Middle High German kamerære "chamberlain" (from kamere "chamber") a status name for the treasurer of a court monastery a great household or a city and in Switzerland for the manager of a church property a so-called Widem... [more]
KampfGerman, Jewish From middle high German kampf, German kamf "fight, struggle" occupation for a fighter.
KanatTurkish Occupational name for a seller of poultry from Turkish kanat meaning "(bird) wing".
KandtGerman Probably from Middle High German kant meaning "jug" (from Latin olla cannata meaning "pot with one spout") and hence an occupational name for a maker or seller of jugs.
KangasEstonian Kangas is an Estonian surname meaning "fabric" and "weft" and "piece goods". Associated with weavers.
KangelarisGreek Etymologically it goes back to the Latin cancellarius, which means chief secretary or chancellor.
KangroEstonian Kangro is an Estonian surname derived from "kangur", meaning "weaver".
KangurEstonian Kangur is an Estonian language surname meaning "weaver".
KarpPolish From Middle High German karp(f)e Middle Low German karpe or Slavic (Russian and Polish) and Yiddish karp ‘carp’ hence a metonymic occupational name for a carp fisherman or seller of these fish or a nickname for someone thought to resemble the fish.... [more]
KartashyanArmenian Means "son of the stonemason" from Armenian քարտաշ (kʿartaš) meaning "stonecutter, stonemason".
KarterBreton Breton form of Carter. This was the birth surname of Breton-French explorer Jacques Cartier (1491-1557), who is known for discovering the gulf of St. Lawrence.
KäsemannGerman Occupational name for someone who makes or sells cheese.
KäserGerman, German (Swiss) occupational name for a cheesemaker or a cheese merchant (see Kaeser ). topographic name for someone who lived by a summer dairy in the Alps from a Tyrolean dialect word derived from Ladin casura... [more]
KashevarovRussian Derived from Russian кашевар (kashevar) meaning "cook (in military unit or team of workers)".
KatanabeJapanese Kata could mean "single" or "shape" and nabe could mean "pot, pan".
KatebArabic From Arabic كَاتِب (kātib) meaning "writer, scribe, clerk".
KauGerman From Middle High German gehau "(mountain) clearing" hence a topographic name for a mountain dweller or possibly an occupational name for a logger.
KaukGerman probably a variant of Kauke from Middle Low German koke "cake" (dialect kauke) hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker or confectioner or a nickname for a cake lover.
KaukeGerman Variant of Kauk from Middle high German kauke "cake" hence a metonymic occupational name for a baker or confectioner or a nickname for a cake lover.
KaupEstonian Kaup is an Estonian surname meaning "merchandise" or "goods".
KaupmeesEstonian Kaupmees is an Estonian surname meaning "shopkeeper".
KautGerman Netonymic occupational name for a flax grower or dealer, from Middle High German kute, from Kaut(e) "male dove", hence a metonymic occupational name for the owner or keeper of a dovecote.
KazanJewish From Hebew chazan, which is an occupational name for a cantor in a synagogue.
KazanGreek Reduced form of Kazandis which is an occupational surname for a maker of cauldrons or someone who uses a cauldron for the distillation of ouzo or raki... [more]
KeçeciTurkish Means "felt seller, person who makes felt" in Turkish, derived from keçe meaning "felt, cloth".
KeelerEnglish English: occupational name for a boatman or boatbuilder, from an agent derivative of Middle English kele ‘ship’, ‘barge’ (from Middle Dutch kiel). Americanized spelling of German Kühler, from a variant of an old personal name (see Keeling) or a variant of Kühl.
KeicherGerman from the East Prussian dialect word keicher "small cake, pastry" hence a metonymic occupational name for a pastry chef or cook.
KeiperGerman Similar to the origins of Kuiper (Dutch) and Cooper (English), Keiper was an occupation which means "cooper" or "barrelmaker".
KeirnsEnglish Name for someone who works at a mill of makes butter.
KekkeJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 結解 (kekke), a variant reading of 結解 (ketsuge) meaning "account settlement", referring to someone who would deal with settlement of accounts.
KellnerGerman, Dutch, Jewish, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, French German, Dutch and Jewish (Ashkenazic) occupational or status name from the Middle Low German kelner, the Middle High German kelnære, the Middle Dutch kel(le)nare and the German kellner#, all meaning "cellarman"... [more]
KemererGerman From the Old German word "kämmerer," which means "chamberlain." A chamberlain was the person in charge of the noble household; to him would fall the duty of ensuring that the castle and court of the noble ran smoothly.
KemperGerman, Dutch German: status name denoting a peasant farmer or serf, an agent noun derivative of Kamp ... [more]
KempesGerman, Dutch German and Dutch variant of Kemp or Kamp. It could also be a habitational name for a person from any of the various places named Kempen on the border between Germany and the Netherlands (for example the town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, close to the Dutch border), a status name for a peasant farmer or serf, or an occupational name for an official calibrator who marked the correct weight and measures for verification, derived from Middle Low German kempen... [more]
KeplerGerman From Middle High German kappe meaning "hooded cloak". This was an occupational name for someone who made these kind of garments. A notable bearer was German astronomer and mathematician Johannes Kepler (1571–1630).
KernGerman, Dutch, Jewish from Middle High German kerne "kernel, seed pip"; Middle Dutch kern(e)keerne; German Kern or Yiddish kern "grain" hence a metonymic occupational name for a farmer or a nickname for a physically small person... [more]
KeslerGerman, Dutch, Jewish It is an occupational name that means coppersmith. In alpine countries the name derived from the definition: the one living in the basin of a valley.
KesselGerman Occupational name for a maker of cooking vessels from Middle High German kezzel meaning "kettle, cauldron, boiler".
KesslerGerman, Jewish Denotes a coppersmith or maker of copper cooking vessels, derived from Middle High German kezzel meaning “kettle, cauldron”.
KhandakarBengali Means "teacher, scholar" (literally "one who reads"), derived from Persian خواندن (khandan) meaning "to read, to study" and the occupational suffix گار (kar).
KidderEnglish English: possibly an occupational name from early modern English kidd(i)er ‘badger’, a licensed middleman who bought provisions from farmers and took them to market for resale at a profit, or alternatively a variant of Kidman... [more]
KidmanEnglish English: occupational name, probably for a goatherd (from Middle English kid(e) ‘young goat’ + man ‘man’), but possibly also for a cutter of wood used for fuel. (from Middle English kidde ‘faggot’ (an archaic English unit for a bundle of sticks)).
KieblerGerman Comes from the Middle High German word "kübel" meaning a "vat," or "barrel." As such it was an occupational name for a cooper, or barrel maker.
KielDutch Dutch from Middle Dutch kidel, kedel ‘smock’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who make such garments or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore one. Also a dutch habitational name from a place so named in Antwerp or from the German city Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein.
KiestlerGerman Possibly a form of Kistler an occupation name for a joiner or cabinet maker.
KiilEstonian Kiil is an Estonian surname meaning "keel", "wedge (tool)", and "frog".
KilmesterGerman Kilmester is attested as a surname near Rostock in the 13th century.
KimmelGerman, Jewish Derived from Middle High German kumin and German kümmel meaning "caraway" (related to Latin cuminum, a word of Oriental origin, like the plant itself), hence a metonymic occupational name for a spicer, literally a supplier of caraway seeds... [more]
KimmichGerman The surname hence a metonymic occupational name for a spicer.
KimpōJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 金 (kin) meaning "gold, metal" and 宝 (pō), the joining form of 宝 (hō) meaning "treasure", possibly referring to someone who manufactured precious metals.
KinderknechtGerman Occupational name for a servant in charge of the children at a manor, derived from kinder (plural of kind) meaning "child" and knecht meaning "servant".
KindermannGerman, Jewish occupational name for a schoolteacher literally "children man", from the elements kind "child" and man "man".
KingseppEstonian Kingsepp is an Estonian surname meaning "shoemaker".
KinkleGerman Derived from the Middle High German word "kunkel," which meant "spindle." It is thus supposed that the first bearers of this surname were spindle makers in occupation.
KircherGerman from Middle High German kirchner "minister, sexton patron" hence an occupational name for a priest or a church assistant.
KirkmanEnglish A name originally found in both Scotland and England. From Kirk- meaning "church" and -man for someone who lived near or worked at a church.
KirschenmannGerman from Middle High German kirsche "cherry" and man "man" an occupational name for a grower or seller of cherries or a topographic name.
KirschnerGerman (Silesian) From the German word "kirchenære." The other occupation is that of a furrier and, in this case, the name is derived from the word "kuerschner."
KishEnglish A name for a person who worked as a maker of leather armor for the knight's legs.
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).
KitchenhamEnglish Occupational surname for a person who was in charge of the kitchen in a royal or noble house, or a monastery. From the Anglo Saxon cycene (German: Küche Dutch: kjøkken Latin: cocina Italian: cucina)
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.
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’.
KlaasseppEstonian Klaassepp is an Estonian surname meaning "glass smith".
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.
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)".
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).
KleinschmidtGerman Occupational surname which means "small smith", that is, a maker of small forged items and metal hand tools.
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".
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.
KlompGerman, Dutch from Middle Dutch and Low German klomp "lump block compact heap ball" used as a nickname for someone with a squat physique or a clumsy or uncouth manner . Dutch metonymic occupational name for a clog maker from Middle Dutch clompe "clog wooden shoe".
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]
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]
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]
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]
KnoedlerGerman Occupational name, probably for someone who made dumplings, from an agent derivative of Middle High German knödel.
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-).
KodikaraSinhalese Derived from Sinhala කොඩිය (kodiya) meaning "flag, banner" and Sanskrit कार (kara) meaning "maker, doer", possibly an occupational name for a person who made flags.
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.
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]
KojitaniJapanese Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 麹谷, 糀谷, 粷谷, or 小路谷 (see Kōjitani) or a variant reading of Japanese Kanji 小路谷 (see Kōjiya).
KōjiyaJapanese From Japanese 麹 (kōji) meaning a substance made from plant molds to make fermented products and 屋 (ya) meaning "seller; shop".
KojiyaJapanese Variant transcription of Japanese Kanji 麹屋, 麹家, 麹谷, 糀屋, 糀谷, 糀矢, 粷谷, or 小路谷 (see Kojiya) or a variant reading of Japanese Kanji 小路谷 (see Kōjiya).
KōkaJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 紅花 (kōka) meaning "red- or crimson-colored flower", referring to an occupation that involves flowers and rouge powder.
KokkEstonian Kokk is Estonian surname, meaning "cook".
KolarovSerbian, Bulgarian An occupational surname derived from kolar, meaning "wheelwright".
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.
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.
KołodziejczakPolish Occupational name for a person who made or repaired wheels, from Polish kołodziej meaning "wheelwright".
KoneruJapanese Japanese, Hokkaido : to knead,to mix with fingers, baker, bread.
KonopásekCzech From konopa meaning "hemp", probably an occupational name for a rope maker.
KonovalovRussian Derived from dialectal Russian коновал (konoval) meaning "farrier, horseleech".
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.
KöökEstonian Köök is an Estonian surname meaning "kitchen".
KopernikPolish Occupational name for a copper miner or copper smelter.
KorbGerman Means "basket" in German, denoting a basket maker or a basket vendor.
KorbelCzech Occupational name for a maker of drinking vessels, from korbel "tankard".
KowalewskiPolish, Jewish Habitational name for someone from places called Kowalew or Kowalewo, named with kowal "smith" or an occupational name for a blacksmith.
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".
KrčmarCroatian Derived from Croatian krčmar meaning "innkeeper, tavern owner, barkeeper", which is ultimately derived from Croatian krčma meaning "inn, tavern, pub".... [more]
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.
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.
KretzerGerman Occupational name for a basketmaker or a peddler, from an agent derivative of Middle High German kretze 'basket'.
KriaučiūnasLithuanian Derived from Lithuanian kriaučius "tailor" combined with the patronymic suffix -ūnas.
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.