Kittel History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Kittel

What does the name Kittel mean?

The roots of the Kittel family name are in ancient Scotland with the Viking settlers. Kittel was derived from the old Norse personal name of Ketill or from the old Danish personal name of Ketil. 1 2

"The personal name Chetell occurred in the Domesday Book of 1086." 3 4

Early Origins of the Kittel family

The surname Kittel was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland.

"'Kettles were weavers at Muthill, Perthshire, and gun-makers at Doune in the same county' in the eighteenth century. The name of the gun-makers is spelled Kettell and Caddell, and they were probably relations of the Kettells, weavers in Muthill. Ketell de Perth was burgess there in the reign of Alexander II. James filius Ketel witnessed a composition between the Priory of May and Duncan de Inchesireth (now Inchyra), c. 1250." 1

Further to the south in England, one of the first records of the family was William Ketel (fl. 1100), a medieval English writer and clergyman. Little is known of him other than he wrote a work containing miraculous stories about Saint John of Beverley. He is presumed to have been clerk of Beverley Minster at that time.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included entries for the family as both a forename and surname: Emma filius Ketel, Cambridgeshire; Kettle le Mercer, Cambridgeshire; and Reyner Ketel, Norfolk. 5

The Feet of Fines for Essex listed Adam Keterch(e) in 1317 and the same rolls included Roger Keterch(e) at Colchester in 1379. 2

Early History of the Kittel family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kittel research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1524, 1576, 1583, 1612, 1676, 1689 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Kittel History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kittel Spelling Variations

Sound and intuition were the main things that scribes in the Middle Ages relied on when spelling and translating names. Since those factors varied, so did the spelling of the names. Spelling variations of the name Kittel include Kettle, Ketley, Kettles, Ketill and others.

Early Notables of the Kittel family

More information is included under the topic Early Kittel Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kittel Ranking

the United States, the name Kittel is the 18,621^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Kittel family to Ireland

Some of the Kittel family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kittel migration to the United States +

In North America, the monarchy was thousands of miles away and Scots were free to settle on their own land and practice their own beliefs. The American War of Independence provided an opportunity for these settlers to pay back the English monarchy and forge a new nation. Recently, this heritage has survived through North American highland games and Clan societies. Early North American immigration and passenger lists have revealed a number of people bearing the name Kittel or a variant listed above:

Kittel Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Kittel, his wife and two chidren arrived in Pennsylvania in 1754
Hans Jerg Kittel, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1754 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Kittel (post 1700) +

Frederick August Kittel (1945-2005), American playwright, who went by the name August Wilson
Otto Kittel, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 267 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Rudolf Kittel (1853-1929), German Old Testament scholar
Hauptmann Otto "Bruno" Kittel (1917-1945), German World War II Flying ace pilot
Johann Christian Kittel (1732-1809), German composer
Emmy Kittel (1878-1930), Czech operatic soprano
Kittel Halvorson (1846-1936), Norway-born, U.S. Representative from Minnesota
Kittel Halvorson (1846-1936), American politician, Member of Minnesota State House of Representatives, 1886; U.S. Representative from Minnesota 5th District, 1891-93 8

The Kittel Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Bono vince malum
Motto Translation: Overcome evil with good.

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html