KostraCzech, Slovak Unusual surname found in Slovakia and the Czech Republic meaning "skeleton" from the word kostra, ultimately from the word kost meaning "bone". In Czech in particular, kostra refers only to the biological meaning of "skeleton" - a skeleton as an independent entity is known as a kostlivec.
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.
KowsariPersian "Kowsar" refers to a river or stream in paradise, which is mentioned in the Quran. Another interpretation is that it means "abundant" or "overflowing."
KozakPolish, Czech, Slovak, Sorbian, Ukrainian Ethnic name for a Cossack, a member of a people descended from a group of runaway serfs who set up a semi-independent military republic in Ukraine in the 15th and 16th centuries.
KozueJapanese (Rare) This surname is used as 梢, 小梢 or 梢江 with 梢 (shou, kusunoki, kozue) meaning "treetops, twig", 小 (shou, o-, ko-, sa-, chii.sai) meaning "little, small" and 江 (kou, e) meaning "bay, creek, inlet."... [more]
KozyrevRussian From Russian козырь (kozyr) meaning "high standing collar" or "canopy" or "head of a sleigh".
KraisGerman, Brazilian Brazilian adaptation of the German surname Greis; altered for easier comprehension by the Portuguese-speaking population of Brazil.
KrasniqiAlbanian The name "Krasniqi" is of Albanian linguistic origin. The exact historical origin and meaning of the surname "Krasniqi" can vary, but it's believed to be related to the Albanian word "kërsenik" or "kërseniku," which means "blackbird" or "thrush."
KuchiJapanese (Rare) From Japanese 口 (kuchi) meaning "mouth". It is a reference to an event in the Northern and Southern Courts Period, of 3 sons of Takase who became heroes for the south. The emperor of Japan awarded each of the sons a new surname; Oku for the eldest son, Naka for the middle son, and Kuchi for the youngest son.
KuchikiJapanese This name combines 朽 (kyuu, ku.chiru) meaning "decay, remain in seclusion, rot" or 口 (ku, kou, kuchi) meaning "mouth" with 木 (boku, moku, ki, ko-) meaning "tree, wood."... [more]
KukavaGeorgian (Rare), Mingrelian (Rare) Not much is known about the meaning of the Mingrelian last name "Kukava" (Mingrelia being a province in Georgia), but it is recorded that the surname was possibly Apsuafied somewhere in 17th century, being turned into "Kukaa" (-aa is usually an Apsuan surname suffix) and then re-Mingrelifying some decades later back to its current form - "Kukava." The earliest known person with the last name dates back to 17th century, his name being Ivana Kuka, a Mingrelian male who lived in the Abkhazia province of Georgia.
KukiJapanese From 久 (ku) meaning "long time (ago)" and 鬼 (ki) meaning "ghost, demon, spirit" or 岐 (ki) meaning "fork in a road, to branch off".
KuosmanenFinnish Meaning uncertain. Possibly deriving from the Finnish element kuoha ("foam"), or the element kousi ("pattern"). Features the nen suffix commonly found in surnames of Savo-Karelian origin.
KuruJapanese Japanese: though written with the character for ‘give’ or ‘present’, the original meaning may actually be ‘sunset’. The name is listed in the Shinsen shōjiroku and is no longer common in Japan, but there is a city by that name in Hiroshima prefecture and the area may have ancient connections with the family.
KusanagiJapanese From Japanese 草 (kusa) meaning "grass" and 彅 (nagi) meaning "cutter". A notable bearer of this surname is actor Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (草彅 剛, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, 1974–).
KushwahaIndian Kushwaha (sometimes, Kushvaha) is a community of the Indo-Gangetic plain which has traditionally been involved in agriculture. The term has been used to represent at least four subcastes, being those of the Kachhis, Kachwahas, Koeris and Muraos... [more]