Kohler
A German occupational surname meaning “charcoal burner.”
The #2,177 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,503 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kohler comes from German Kohle, “coal” or “charcoal,” with the agent suffix -er, so the name literally means “charcoal maker” or “charcoal burner.” Older Germanic forms behind the word include Middle High German kohl(e) and Old High German kolo. In surname use, it belongs to the large class of occupational names taken from a person’s trade.
History
The name is found especially in German-speaking areas, and it spread widely through German migration to North America and elsewhere. English-language surname books of the 19th and early 20th centuries consistently gloss it as “charcoal-burner.” Spellings with and without the umlaut are common in records, and Anglicized or simplified forms sometimes appear in immigrant families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Charcoal burning was once an important rural craft, so the surname preserves the memory of a job that is now mostly historical.
From the historical record
“KOHLERwGer.) Charcoal-Borner ; Col- KOHLERJLIER [Ger. kohler; f. (with agent. suff. -e)r) kohle, charcoal, coal ; O.H.Ger. kolo]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)