Show ContentsKoenig History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestral home of the Koenig family is in the German state of Bavaria. The name Koenig is an occupational hereditary surname, a type of surname that was taken from a word describing or common to the profession of the original bearer. It is a name for a person who was thought to possess regal qualities. The surname Koenig was originally derived from the German word denoting the king, which was given to someone who was successful in sports or other skillful matches.

Early Origins of the Koenig family

The surname Koenig was first found in Alsace, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Koenig family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Koenig research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1701, 1823, 1832 and 1901 are included under the topic Early Koenig History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Koenig Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Koenig include de Koenig, Koenig, Konnig, Koenig, de Koennig, Konige, Konnige, Konigge and many more.

Early Notables of the Koenig family

Notables with the name Koenig during this period were

  • Karl Rudolph Koenig (1832-1901), a German physicist, who did important work in the field of acoustics

Koenig Ranking

In the United States, the name Koenig is the 1,893rd most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Koenig is ranked the 1,376th most popular surname with an estimated 4,155 people with that name. [2]


United States Koenig migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Koenig, or one of its variants above:

Koenig Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Adam Koenig and Justis Koenig with his wife and two children, all of whom emigrated to America in 1709
  • Marcus Koenig, who landed in New York in 1709-1710 [3]
  • Johann Heinrich Koenig, who arrived in America in 1748 [3]
  • Michel Koenig, who arrived in America in 1748 [3]
  • Juditha Koenig, who landed in America in 1750 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Koenig Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Michael Koenig, who landed in Maryland in 1820 [3]
  • Paul Koenig, who arrived in Brazil in 1827 [3]
  • Jacobine Koenig, aged 28, who landed in America in 1835 [3]
  • Johannes Koenig, aged 4, who landed in America in 1835 [3]
  • Martin Koenig, aged 44, who landed in Missouri in 1840 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Koenig migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Koenig Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Ludwig Koenig, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
  • Friedrich Koenig, Johann Koenig, and Arnold Koenig, who settled in Canada in 1783
Koenig Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Elisabetha Koenig, who arrived in Quebec in 1850

Contemporary Notables of the name Koenig (post 1700) +

  • Brigadier-General Egmont Francis Koenig (1892-1972), American Commanding General of US Base Sections United Kingdom, Normandy & English Channel (1945) [4]
  • Francis H. Koenig, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 11th District, 1894 [5]
  • Francis A. Koenig, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 2nd District, 1890 [5]
  • Edward W. Koenig, American politician, Mayor of Benicia, California, 1957-58 [5]
  • Edward G. Koenig, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 1964 [5]
  • C. August Koenig, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Auburn, New York, 1908-09 [5]
  • Blanche Koenig, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Iowa Democratic State Central Committee, 1971 [5]
  • August Koenig, American Democratic Party politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives, 1891-94, 1903-04 [5]
  • Arthur J. D. Koenig, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1928 [5]
  • Andrew Koenig, American Republican politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives 99th District; Elected 2012 [5]
  • ... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Koenig +

  • The Anton and Rosina Koenigh Beck Family by Lillie Wasserman.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, April 2) Egmont Koenig. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Koenig/Egmont_Francis/USA.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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