Kiel Family History
- Kiel Name Meaning
- German (common in the north of Germany and around Hamburg): in some cases probably a habitational name from the city of Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein, but more likely a topographic name for someone living by a long narrow bay or area of sheltered water, from Middle Low German kil ‘wedge’, the word from which the city derives its name. Alternatively, it may be from the same word applied as a nickname to denote a crude person. North German: possibly an occupational name for a ship’s captain, short for Low German Kilmester (Middle Low German kil ‘keel’, ‘boat’ + mester ‘master’, ‘skipper’). Kilmester is attested as a surname near Rostock in the 13th century. German: from a pet form of the personal name Kilian. 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. Dutch: habitational name from a place so named in Antwerp or from the German city (see 1). Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Kil. Polish (Kiel): from kiel ‘tooth’, ‘fang’, hence a nickname for someone with bad or protruding teeth.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
- 168,915 Historical Documents with Kiel on Ancestry
- 73,984 Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
- 21,894 Census and Voter Lists
- 26,262 Military Records
- 4,460 Immigration Records
- 42,315 Member Trees
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Number of Kiel families
 12 - 21  5 - 11 |
 1 - 4  |
from the 1891 England and Wales Census Data
Number of Kiel families
|
5 - 8 2 - 4 |
1 |
from the 1891 Scotland Census Data
Kiel census records
You can see how Kiel families moved over time by selecting different Census years.
Census records can tell you little-known facts about your ancestors such as birthplace, occupation and value of personal estate.
from the New York Passengers List
Click on a place to view Kiel immigration records
The information for this chart came from the U.S. Immigration Collection at Ancestry. You can find out where the majority of the Kiel families were living before they immigrated to the U.S and learn where to focus your search for foreign records.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure, port of arrival, and destination.
from the New York Passenger Lists
Click on a circle in the chart to view Kiel emigration records
You can find out when most of the Kiel families immigrated to the United States. You can focus your search to emigration records dating from that era.
Emigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure, port of arrival and destination.
from 1881 UK Census Data
Kiel census records
Census records can offer a lot of little known facts about your Kiel ancestors, such as occupation.
Occupation can tell you about your ancestors' social status and economic status.
Did the Kiels fight in a war? Military records can tell you a lot
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