This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

Re: from which country does the surname KESSEL come from??
in reply to a message by kit
Kessel is German for "kettle". It is derived from "catillus", meaning "food vessel" in Latin.
vote up1vote down

Replies

As long as we are posting about last names....Where does the last name "Slifer" come from? What about "Heller"? Does anyone know the answer to these?
vote up1vote down
We really should be doing this on the surname board, but......here goes:
A Heller is a small German formerly current in Germany, worth half a pfennig. It was named from the imperial city Schwäbisch-Hall, where it was first coined. Alternatively, a heller is one who "hells around" :P Slifer
No idea about Slifer though..
vote up1vote down
Heller and SliferHeller:1) Pavlos' explanation is exactly right!!
2) from the German place name Heller (there are places named Heller in North Rhine-Westphalia, former Brandenburg [now Poland] and Silesia)Sliferlooks like an anglicized version of the German surname Schleifer:1) from the Middle High German word "slifære" which means "grinder, polisher"2) from the German place name Schleif (in Bavaria and Luxemburg)3) from the German place name Schleife (in Saxony)Regards, Satu
vote up1vote down
Typo: should read "a small German *coin*
vote up1vote down
Thank youHmmm....interesting. Thanks people!
vote up1vote down