Kunkel
A German surname with several possible roots, including a short form of older personal names and, in some cases, a nickname or occupational link.
The #3,736 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,541 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is best understood as German in origin, but its exact derivation is not certain. Some 19th-century surname scholars connected forms like Kunkel to older German personal names by reduction or shortening, while others treated similar forms as nickname-based. The word also resembles German dialect terms and surnames built from everyday objects or occupations, but the evidence is not firm enough to choose one explanation with confidence.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and later spread through German emigration, especially into North America. Historical surname collections record spellings such as Kunkel alongside related forms like Kinkel, suggesting local variation and sound changes over time. Because the surviving excerpts are incidental rather than a direct dictionary entry, the older etymology remains somewhat uncertain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name shows up in historical surname lists alongside related forms that seem to have shifted by dropping or changing sounds, which is a common pattern in German family names.
From the historical record
“frid, Relbel von Bichbold, Reigel von Bichger, &aigl von Gauger (Gauspeer), Hergl von Herger, Kübel von Eutbert, Gunkel von Gundger, Kinkel statt Kunkel von Kundger. Von Kinkel blieb nach abgeworfenem — el Kink zurück und ebenso Nerf von Nörfel aus Nordfrid und Melf von Mälfel aus Malfrid. Dimpfel geht auf Ding-…”
— Die oberdeutschen Familiennamen