Surname Kieß - Meaning and Origin
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Kieß: What does the surname Kieß mean?
Kieß is a German surname derived from either the Old High German name Kiezo or the Middle High German word kiez, both of which mean “courtyard”. This likely indicated a person who lived in, managed, or worked in a courtyard or specified area, such as an estate. It is also possible that the name was adopted by someone who moved to an area known as a Kieß, which likely referred to a particular area within a larger town or village.
Variations of the name include Kiez, Kießig, Kiessig, and Kiesig. The name is common particularly in the German states of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Saxony. It is also found in parts of Switzerland, Austria, and other parts of Central Europe.
The Kieß name is often confused with the name Kießler, which has a different meaning and origin. Kießler is derived from the Latin word casalis, which means “cottage” or “dwelling”. It is likely that it was adopted by someone who lived in a cottage or small house.
Today, many people with the Kieß surname are likely descendants of these early adopters of the name. Its history and distribution across countries illustrates how migration and intermarriage has shaped the modern family tree. Regardless of their origin, the Kieß name is a reminder of the ties that bind people together and of how a single name can tell a story as vast and far-reaching as history itself.
Order DNA origin analysisKieß: Where does the name Kieß come from?
The surname Kieß is most commonly found in southern Germany, specifically in the towns of Langenhagen, HeValen and Glinde near the city of Hamburg. It is also prevalent in the nearby city of Hanover, where the Kieß family is recorded to have lived since at least the 1650s. The name is thought to be of Slavic origin, with records confirming that the family had origins in the area of what is today northern Poland.
The Kieß surname is also recorded in other German-speaking countries, including Austria and Switzerland, as well as in the United States and Canada. Emigration from Germany was particularly strong in the late 1880s and early 1900s, and families with the Kieß surname were among those who made the journey.
In the United States, the Kieß surname is most common in Minnesota, where Germanic populations are at their highest, followed by Wisconsin and North Dakota. Records show individuals with the name living in the US as far back as the 1840s.
In the Philippines, the surname is most commonly found among the Filipino-German population, where it has been in use since the mid-19th century. The surname Kieß is now quite widespread, with those bearing the name living all over the world, from Germany to the Philippines and from the United States to South Africa.
Variations of the surname Kieß
Kieß is a German surname originating from the Middle High German word "kīs", which means “thorn hedge” or “fence”.
Common variants of this name are Keiss, Kies, Kiese, Kisse, Kiss and Kisser.
The German spelling of the name Kieß is sometimes seen as Kieße. This version could be a patronymic or a variation of the root name. In some cases, it could also refer to a person living near a hedge. Common variants of the name Kieße are Kiese, Kisse, Kissem, Kisee and Kisem.
The Dutch spelling of the surname Kieß is Kees, and its variants include Keess, Keesse, Kesse, Keisse and Keise.
The Low German spelling of the name is Kies, and the variants of this spelling include Kisse, Kiessem, Kysse and Kysem.
The surname Kieß can also be found in Austria and Switzerland. In Austria it is spelled as Kießer or Kieser, and its variants include Kiserer, Kiser, Kiserr and Kisor. In Switzerland, the spelling is Kiser and its variants include Kieser, Kiserr and Kisor.
In some cases, the name Kieß can be adopted as a variant of the Jewish surname of the same root, which is Katz or Kates. The variants of this Jewish surname include Kates, Kaetz, Katz, Ketz, Ketzner, Kitz, Kitzman, Kutz, and Kutzman.
In some cases, the name Kieß can be considered as a shortened version of the name Kießling, which means “small hedge”. The variant spellings of this name include Kießlin, Kießlein and Kießel.
In rare cases, the name Kieß may also be derived from the old German word “kiero”, which means “high, elevated”. The variant spellings of this name include Kierer, Kiere, Kieres, Kirer and Kyrer.
Famous people with the name Kieß
- Katrin Kieß: Katrin Kieß is a former German professional handball player who played for the club Bayer 04 Leverkusen between 1998 and 2013. She also represented the German national team at the 2004 Olympics and multiple European Championships and World Championships.
- Ludwig Kieß: Ludwig Kieß was a German chemist who pioneered in the development of the first synthetic form of rubidium and caesium. He also discovered a number of elements and worked on atomic weight measurement, which eventually led to the creation of the International System of Units (SI).
- Hubert Kieß: Hubert Kieß was a German botanist and professor at the University of Göttingen who founded the journal Folia Geobotanica, which quickly became a reference for botany research. He co-authored several books and papers on plant anatomy, classification and geography.
- Hermann Kieß: Hermann Kieß was a German furniture maker and craftsman who specialized in the production of handmade furniture and other items using traditional joinery techniques. His work can be found in prominent locations around Germany and is highly valued for its quality and style.
- Engelbert Kieß: Engelbert Kieß was a German philosopher and professor at the University of Tübingen who wrote extensively on aesthetics, metaphysics and the philosophy of science. He was also a major contributor to German Romanticism, which heavily influenced his philosophical work.