Surname Kießel - Meaning and Origin
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Kießel: What does the surname Kießel mean?
The last name Kießel is a German surname meaning “little rock” or “little stone.” While its exact origin remains unknown, this name likely comes from a given name—called a “Kiesel” or “Kössel"—which would have been given by a parent in medieval Germany, and eventually passed down as a surname. Historians believe that this name was likely given to an individual who resembled a small rock or stone in some way – perhaps a stoic attitude, strong personality, or by their physical features.
Sources suggest that the “Kießel” spelling is common in the towns of East Prussia and Silesia in Germany, as well as the Czech Republic. Records indicate that the first bearers of the Kießel surname can be traced back to the 1400s in both Germany and Holland, though the root of the name was likely older. Migration records show that some individuals also settled in American cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis during the 19th century.
Today, the Kießel surname is still in use in its native Germany and other parts of the world. It is also sometimes found spelled “Kießler,” “Kiessel,” and “Kisel,” among other variations. People with this last name can be found living in various countries, and continue to carry on the legacy of their small stone-like ancestors.
Order DNA origin analysisKießel: Where does the name Kießel come from?
The last name Kießel is quite common throughout Germany today, especially in the Traditional storytelling regions of Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Hesse. It is also found in the states of Thuringia and Saxony as well as in the Rhineland.
Historically, Kießel is derived from Ketzle, a nickname for a red-haired person, and the name is found in records dating as far as the fifteenth century. Thus, the surname would have been of German origin at least since then.
More recently, the surname Kießel can be found all over the world, concentrated in Germany and the US, with much smaller numbers in Austria, Switzerland and the UK. In modern times, many immigrant populations have taken the surname with them to their current countries of residence.
In North America, the Kießel surname is quite common, while in South America, the surname is unknown, though pockets of the name exist in some European-influenced areas.
Today, Kießels can be widely found in cities all across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the US; many in search of a better life have left the homeland of Germany and although not very common, some Kießels have been found scattered around the world.
Variations of the surname Kießel
The surname Kießel is one of the many variants and spellings of the same origin. It is a German last name, which originally derived from the Medieval German word “Kiesel” which means "little stone". It is also closely related to the Middle High German word, “Kisele”, and both of these names are earliest recorded in the region of Thuringia in Germany.
The surname Kießel is most commonly found in Germany, but it has also spread elsewhere to Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Common variant spellings of the surname include Kiesel, Kissle, Kiesle and Kießel. Historical variants are Kempty and Kysle.
Other related surnames include Kiesling, Kieser, Kieserling, Kiesselbach, Kieselhorst, Kiesewetter, Kishpaugh, Kispaugh, Kise, Kiser, Kisel, Kisilewicz, Kyselak, Kyselka, Kysell, Keese and Keyser.
Kießel is also used as a given name, and in some cases Kießel is used as a spelling for the Yiddish given name Kikel or Kusel.
Famous people with the name Kießel
- Laura Kießel, German actress
- Jakob Kießel, German actor
- Christoph Kießel, German theologian
- Johannes Kießel, German composer
- Franz Xaver Kießel, German painter
- Bernhard Kießel, German curator
- Julien Kießel, Swiss pianist 8.Robert Kießel, Austrian sculptor
- Guido Kießel, Swiss composer 10.Otto Kießel, German sculptor 11.Christian Kießel, German publisher
- Wolfgang Kießel, German politician
- Tobias Kießel, German journalist
- Anna Kießel, German multimedia artist
- Hedwig Kießel, German biologist
- Viktor Kießel, German diplomat
- Maximilian Kießel, German biochemist
- Paul Kießel, German historian
- Peter Kießel, German physicist
- Gudrun Kießel, German textile designer