Koch
A German occupational surname meaning “cook.”
The #698 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 6,251 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Koch is a German occupational surname from Middle High German koch and Old High German koch, meaning “cook.” The word is ultimately related to Latin coquus, also “cook.” It began as a byname for someone who cooked for a household, court, or institution, and later became hereditary as surnames stabilized.
History
The name is common in German-speaking areas and appears in many related forms across Central Europe. In English-language surname books, it is regularly listed alongside other occupational names such as Baker and Smith. Because cooking was a basic and widespread profession, the surname could arise independently in multiple places.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In German, Koch is still the ordinary word for a professional cook, so the surname reads like a job title even today.
From the historical record
“kloek, brave, sagacious] ' KOCH (Ger.) Cook [M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. koch, earlier choh{h; Lat. coqu-us] KOENJG-i (Ger.) King [O.H.Ger. kuning, KONIG i chuning = O.Sax. hining = Dut. koning] KOHLERwGer.) Charcoal-Borner ; Col- KOHLERJLIER [Ger. kohler; f. (with agent.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)Notable people named Koch
- Robert Koch (1843–1910)
- Christina Koch (b. 1979)
- Ilse Koch (1906–1967)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.