Show ContentsKissling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Kissling surname derives from the Old High German word "kisil," meaning "pebble," or "gravel." The name may have been a topographic name for someone who lived in an area of pebbles or gravel; or it may have evolved from any of several places named with this word.

Early Origins of the Kissling family

The surname Kissling was first found in Saxony, where the name came from humble beginnings but gained a significant reputation for its contribution to the emerging mediaeval society. It later became more prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates and branches, some in foreign countries, always elevating their social status by their great contributions to society.

Early History of the Kissling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kissling research. Another 125 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1796 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Kissling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kissling Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kissling, Kisslling, Kisslings, Kisslinges, Kissllings, Kisling, Kislinge, Kislinges, Kisslinge, Kiisling, Kiisslings, Kisslinger and many more.

Early Notables of the Kissling family

Prominent bearers of the family name Kissling at this time were

  • the Kissling family of Saxony


United States Kissling migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kissling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Kissling, aged 34, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1845 1

New Zealand Kissling migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kissling Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Geo Augustus Kissling, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Kissling (post 1700) +

  • Werner Kissling (1895-1988), German ethnologist, known for making one of the earliest existing films of spoken Scottish Gaelic


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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