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 K Surnames Family History Resources

Surnames, their origin and their meaning

Many surnames are associated with the place/locality of where the family lived and in those cases the location is noted as the meaning.
Many surnames are associated with the occupation of the person given the name.

eXpertGenealogy.com is a directory of Professional Genealogists, Ancestry and Family Tree Researchers.

Surname		Origin	Meaning
Kaiser		German	Emperor from the Latin Caesar
Kaufman		German	An occupational name for a merchant or tradesman
Kavanagh		Celtic-Gaelic	Coamhanach, mild, benevolent, merciful
Kay		Locality	In Cornish British, signifies a hedge, inclosure, a place of security, a fortified place
Kaynard		Gaelic	Kinnaird, a place in Perthshire, Scotland
Keach			Keech, a mass, a lump
Kean		Gaelic	Ceann, the head, the top, a chief, a commander
Kebby		Danish	Kiob, buying, purchase, bargain, and by, a town
Keel			A low, flat-bottomed vessel
Keeler			One who manages barges and vessels
Keen			Bold, eager, daring
Keese		Dutch	Cornelius
Keigwin		Cornish-British	kei, a dog, and gwyn, white
Keith			Lands in Banffshire, Scotland
Kellerman		German	worker or dweller in a wine cellar or tavern
Kellogg		Gaelic	a cock, coileach
Kelly		Gaelic-Welsh	A grove, generally of hazel
Kelsey		Locality	A town in Lincolnshire, England
Kelso		Locality	Town in Roxburghshire, Scotland
Kemble			Campbell
Kemp		Saxon	combat
Kempenfelt		Locality	The camping or kemping field
Kemphall			The soldiers' quarters
Kempshall			The soldiers' quarters
Kempster		Dutch	kampen, to fight, or kamper, a champion
Kempton			The camp town; place of the army
Kemyss		Gaelic	a person whose nose is turned upwards
Kendall		Locality	Town in Westmoreland, England
Kendrick		Saxon	Kennen, to know, and ric, rich
Kennan		Gaelic	Ceanann or Ceanfhionn, white-headed, bald
Kennard		Gaelic	Kinnaird, a place in Perthshire, Scotland
Kennedy		Celtic-Gaelic	Kean-na-ty; the head of the house, or chief of the clan
Kennicot		Cornish-British	Chennicat, a singer
Kent		Locality	County in England
Kenward		Saxon	A cow-keeper
Kenyon		Welsh	Ceinion, beautiful
Kercher		Anglo-Saxon	cark, a prison; carker, a jailor
Kerr		Gaelic	Kaer, a castle
Kerswell		Locality	The well where water-cresses grow
Kessler		German	coppersmith
Ketman		German	From Kette, a chain, and mann
Kettle		Locality	the parish of Kettle, in Fifeshire, Scotland
Kevin		Celtic	Coemhghin, the beautiful offspring
Keys			Keyus, an old Roman word for a warden or keeper
Keyser		German	An emperor
Kibby		Danish	Kiob-by, a market town, the place of buying
Kid			A young goat
Kidder			A dealer in corn, provisions, and merchandize
Kief		Danish	Brave, valiant, stout, bold
Kiel		German	Town in Lower Saxony
Kiernan		Gaelic	a heap
Kiersted		Danish	Kier, a marsh, and sted, a dwelling, a town
Kilburne		Locality	Village in Middlesex, England
Kilgour		Gaelic	ancient name of a parish in Fifeshire, Scotland
Kilham		Locality	A town in England
Killin		Gaelic	A place in Perthshire, Scotland
Kimberley		Dutch	a champion, a fightingman
Kimble			Campbell
Kincadd		Gaelic	Ceanncath, the chief or commander of the battle
Kincade		Gaelic	From ceann, head, and cath or cad, battle
King		Scottish	head or leader
Kinghorn		Locality	A borough in Fifeshire, Scotland
Kingston		Locality	The name of several towns in England
Kinloch		Locality	From lands in Fifeshire
Kinnaird		Gaelic	Kinnaird, a place in Perthshire, Scotland
Kinnard		Gaelic	Kinnaird, a place in Perthshire, Scotland
Kinnear		Gaelic	Ceanneir, from Ceann, head, and eir, an abbreviation of fear, a man
Kinney		Gaelic	Cine, kindred, a clan, a tribe
Kinsley		Gaelic	Ceannsallach, authoritative, commanding, ruling
Kipp		German	a situation on or near a precipice
Kirby		Locality	towns in England
Kirk		Teutonic	Kirche, a church
Kirkaldy		Locality	a town in Fifeshire, Scotland
Kirkham		Locality	Kirk, a church, and ham, a village
Kirkland			church land
Kirkpatrick		Locality	A parish in Dumfriesshire, Scotland
Kirnan		Gaelic	Carnan, a heap
Kirwan			A corruption of O'Quirivane
Kiskey		Cornish-British	Blessed, happy
Kitson			son of Christopher or Kit
Kitts			son of Kit or Christopher
Klein		German	small, little
Kling		German	Klinge, a blade, a sword
Knapp		German	Knappe, a lad, boy, servant, workman
Knevett		Normandy	Duvenet
Knickerbacker		Dutch	Cracker-baker
Knight			admitted to the privilege of bearing arms
Knightley			Knight, and ley, a place or field
Knoll			The top of a hill
Knowles			The top of a hill
Knox		Gaelic	Cnoc, a little hill
Kohler		German	charcoal burner
Krause		German	someone with curly hair
Krebs		Locality	A town in Upper Saxony, Germany
Kriege		German	war or warrior
Krieger		German	war or warrior
Krugar		German	a maker or seller of stoneware mugs and jugs
Kuester		German	sexton
Kunstler		German	artist or skilled artisan.
Kuster		German	sexton
Kyle		Locality	District in Ayrshire, Scotland

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