Show ContentsKobler History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Kobler comes from when its first bearer worked as a person who made or sold cudgels, which were short, stout sticks used as weapons. The surname Kobler was also applied as a nickname to a person who was considered as stout and heavy. 1

Another source disagrees with this theory. Bardsley believes that the "surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Kibble,' i.e. Cuboid. A strong confirmation of the view that Kibbel was an old personal name is the existence of such local names as Kibblethwaite, Kibbleworth, Kibblestone, Cobbledick." 2

Early Origins of the Kobler family

The surname Kobler was first found in Suffolk where Æluric Chebbel was found c. 1095. While the name does not appear in the Domesday Book of 1086, it would be safe to assume that the Kobler family were indeed there at that time.

Later, William Kebbel was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1214 and in 1263 Salomon Kebbel was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1263.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 11273 included entries for a wide variety of spellings: Michael Kibbel, Huntingdonshire; William Kibbel, Cambridgeshire; Thomas Kibel, Lincolnshire; Reginald Kibel, Lincolnshire; and Stephen Cubbel, Oxfordshire. 2

"From the 15th to the 17th century, Keeble, in the forms often of Keble, Kebill, and Kebyll, was a common name amongst the gentry and tradesmen of Stowmarket [Suffolk]. Keeble is still a Stowmarket name. In the 13th century, Kibel, Kibbel, and Kebbel were names found in the adjacent counties of Cambridge and Hunts, as well as in those of Lincoln and Oxford. There are Kibbles now in Bucks and Warwickshire." 3

Early History of the Kobler family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kobler research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1120, 1510, 1523, 1607, 1632, 1644, 1649, 1650, 1654, 1686, 1710, 1711, 1786, 1792, 1806, 1807, 1809 and 1866 are included under the topic Early Kobler History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kobler Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Kobler include Keeble, Keble, Kebbell, Kebell, Kebill, Kebyll, Kibbel, Kibble, Kibel, Keebler and many more.

Early Notables of the Kobler family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Richard Keble, Keeble or Kebbel (fl. 1650), English judge an old family settled at Newton in Suffolk. He was Commissioner of the Great Seal from 1649 to 1654. His youngest son Joseph Keble (1632-1710), was a barrister and essayist, born...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kobler Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Kobler family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Kobler or a variant listed above: Robert Kebell settled in Maryland in 1736; Jacob, John, and Mathias Kebel all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860; Richard Keeble settled in Virginia in 1739.


Contemporary Notables of the name Kobler (post 1700) +

  • John Kobler (1910-2000), American writer from Mount Vernon, New York, known for The Forgotten Woman (1939)
  • Flip Kobler, American Annie Award nominated writer and production designer, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) and Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
  • Lt. Wayne F. Kobler (d. 1944), American fighter pilot from the 19th Fighter Squadron who was killed on 27 June 1944 while flying his P-47 on a low-level attack mission on Tinian, eponym Kobler Field, a former World War II airfield on Saipan in the Mariana Islands
  • Erich Kobler, German film editor and director. Kobler directed the 1949 comedy Trouble Backstairs, he also directed Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1955)
  • Julius Kobler, German actor, known for Die rote Nacht (1921), Strandgut der Leidenschaft (1922) and Banditen im Frack (1921)
  • Marcel Kobler, German actor, known for Das Glück beim Händewaschen (1982)
  • Martin Kobler (b. 1953), German diplomat, current German Ambassador to Pakistan


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.


Houseofnames.com on Facebook