Kindle
An English surname that likely began as a nickname or occupational name connected with lighting, tending, or making a fire.
The #8,065 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 75,139 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is probably from Middle English kindle, the verb meaning “to light” or “to set on fire,” ultimately from Old English cȳndlan/cyndlan in the same sense. As a surname, it would most naturally have been applied to someone associated with fire-making, fire-tending, or, by extension, a person with an ardent or fiery temperament. Some historical writers also treat names like this as nickname forms rather than strict occupational labels.
History
The modern surname is found in English-speaking countries and is relatively uncommon. The historical excerpts provided do not give a direct dictionary entry for KINDLE, but they support the ordinary English word behind the name. Because the word was common in everyday speech, the surname may have arisen independently more than once.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname and the modern verb share the same core idea: making something catch fire or begin to burn.
From the historical record
“type in the unpitying Jael. While other names there are, such as Potiphar, which have nothing to kindle reverence, and nothing to excite aversion. Yet the whole of the above are family names in England or in France. And I have elsewhere suggested a different origin for all of them except Esau, Judas, and Jael. The…”
— The Teutonic Name-System applied to the family names of France, England and Germany