The Kessler Family History

Jews distrusted the authorities and resisted the new requirement. Although they were forced to take last names, at first they were used only for official purposes. Among themselves, they kept their traditional names. Over time, Jews accepted the new last names, which were essential as Jews sought to advance within the broader society.

 

The easiest way for Jews to assume an official last name was to adapt the name they already had, making it permanent. This explains the use of “patronymics” and “matronymics.”

 

• PATRONYMICS (son of…..)

  • In Yiddish or German, it would be “son” or “sohn”  or “er.” In most Slavic languages like Polish or Russian, it would be “wich” or “witz.”

  • For example: The son of Mendel took the last name Mendelsohn; the son of Abraham became Abramson or Avromovitch; the son of Menashe became Manishewitz; the son of Itzhak became Itskowitz; the son of Kesl took the name Kessler, etc.

 

• MATRONYMICS (based on women’s names…)

  • Reflecting the prominence of Jewish women in business, some families made last names out of women’s first names.

  • For example: Chaiken — son of Chaikeh; Edelman — husband of Edel; Gittelman — husband of Gitl; Glick or Gluck — may derive from Glickl, a popular woman’s name as in the famous “Glickl of Hameln,” whose memoirs, written around 1690, are an early example of Yiddish literature

 

The next most common source of Jewish last names is probably places. Jews used the town or region where they lived, or where their families came from, as their last name. As a result, the Germanic origins of most East European Jews are reflected in their names. For example, Asch is an acronym for the towns of Aisenshtadt or Altshul or Amshterdam.

 

Other ways Jews came up with last names are by:

• Occupation names such as Ackerman meaning plowman or Goldstein meaning goldsmith.

• Religious or Communal names such as Klopman, calls people to morning prayers by knocking on their window shutters; Shofer/Sofer/Schaeffer, scribe.

• Personal Trait names such as Shein/Schoen/Schoenman meaning pretty or handsome; Springer meaning lively person, from the Yiddish springen for jump

 

There were many other ways that the Jews came up with last names. Some just made up the nicest ones they could think of and may have been charged a registration fee by the authorities.

 

So until the late 17th century there were no records of the Jewish people except in their own communities. In my research I have traced our family back to a Johann Kessler who was born in 1674 in Riezlern Austria. From him back to the 15th century I have found some sources that seem to link him through a family line to a Kessler Stamm born in 1499. However, these sources may or may not be all that accurate but I have included them in so far as I keep searching.  What I have found is that from Johann Kessler back to Kessler Stamm for each name I have listed I can find sources with  other name variations that have matching dates.  For example I have found a Johann Kessler born in 1674 with a father named Christian Kessler. I have also found a Johann Kesl born in 1674 with a father named Christian Kesl (remember the example earlier, the son of Kesl took the name Kessler).

 

Which one is right? That I do not know for sure and it is possible that they could be the same person(s) or different person(s) with similar last names. They all lead back to what gentile sources have listed as a Kessler Stamm. However, a common practice in Jewish communities was to use in everyday speech what is known as short form name. So Keslstam meaning stock of Kesl is short for the proper name Moyshe ben Kesl (or whatever his first name was) meaning Moses son of Kesl.