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Help[Surname] Last name Kaukl
My family has a rare last name. We were always told we are Bohemian. Kaukl doesn't look or sound like most Bohemian/Czech names, so we're thinking it was butchered or shortened on the way over to the U.S. Thanks!
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Replies
The name is definitely Czech as you can see at tinyurl.com/y59zalgp and tinyurl.com/y65rr49q.
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Thanks! I'm hoping to figure out the meaning of the name and if it used to be longer. Seems like it used to be spelled Koukl, which is more in line with how its pronounced than Kaukl.
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there's not much difference. "kau" should be pronounced like "cow" (cf. Bauer/Bower). The name seems to have originally been recorded as Küml or Kümmel in the 18th C. (probably by folk-etymology of a Czech name), subsequently known as Koukl, with the Kaukl spelling dominant among his grandchildren (still in Bohemia). The change may be purely administrative, as in the 18th C German was the dominant language of administration in Bohemia.
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Thank you!
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