This list includes 66 French last names that start with K, from “Kabbah” to “Kuntz”. Many K surnames in French-speaking areas reflect regional or immigrant influences rather than old Gallic origins.
French last names that start with K are family names used across France and other francophone countries. They often point to varied roots, including Germanic, Breton, Basque, and immigrant traditions.
Below you’ll find the table with Surname, Origin/Meaning, Notable people, and Variants.
Surname: The exact family name as used in records, helping you find and confirm spellings and accent marks quickly.
Origin/Meaning: Short note on linguistic origin and basic meaning, giving you context about regional roots or historical usage.
Notable people: One to three prominent bearers listed so you can connect the name to real historical or public figures.
Variants: Common alternate spellings, accents, or related forms that help you expand searches and match records.
French last names that start with K
| Surname | Meaning/Origin | Estimated frequency per 100,000 | Variants/Spellings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahn | Alsatian/Jewish; variant of Cohen or German ‘boat’ | 1.2 | Cahn |
| Kieffer | Alsatian/Germanic origin | 0.9 | Kiefer |
| Kiefer | Germanic, possibly ‘pine’ or occupational | 0.8 | Kieffer |
| Koenig | Germanic ‘king’ (König) variant | 1.2 | König, Koenig, Konig |
| Keller | Germanic occupational ‘cellar, vintner’ | 0.8 | Käller, Kelle |
| Klein | Germanic ‘small’ | 0.5 | Kline |
| Kolb | Germanic, occupational (woodworker) | 0.4 | Kolbe |
| Kopp | Germanic, occupational | 0.7 | Koppe |
| Knopf | Germanic ‘button’ occupational name | 0.2 | Knopff |
| Kramer | Germanic ‘merchant’ (Krämer) variant | 0.6 | Krämer, Kraemer |
| Kaufmann | Germanic ‘merchant’ | 0.3 | Kauffmann, Kaufman |
| Kaplan | Hebrew/Yiddish ‘priestly’ or Turkish ‘hawksman’ variant | 0.7 | Kaplan, Caplan |
| Katz | Hebrew ‘priest’ (abbreviation of Kohen Tzedek) | 0.4 | Kac, Kacz |
| Kabbaj | Maghrebi (Moroccan) Jewish/Muslim origin | unknown | Kabbage |
| Kacem | Arabic Maghrebi (from given name Qasim) | unknown | Kacem, Kacim |
| Kaddouri | Maghrebi/Levantine, patronymic ‘Kaddour’ | unknown | Kadduri, Kaddour |
| Khalifa | Arabic ‘successor, ruler’ | unknown | Khalifah |
| Khalil | Arabic ‘friend, beloved’ used as patronymic | unknown | Khalil, Halil |
| Kabbah | West African/Mandé family name | unknown | Kaba, Kabbah |
| Koné | Susu/Mandé origin (West Africa) | 8.0 | Kone, Konè, Koné |
| Konaté | Mandé origin (Mali, Guinea) | 5.0 | Konate, Konaté |
| Keïta | Mandé royal/patronymic (Mali) | 3.5 | Keita, Keïta |
| Koulibaly | Mandé/West African (surname) | 1.5 | Coulibaly, Koulibaly |
| Kouyaté | Mandé/Wolof griot lineage | 1.1 | Kouyate |
| Kouamé | Akan/Ivorian origin | 2.0 | Kouame, Kouamé |
| Kamara | Mandé/Liberian/Sierra Leonean origin | 3.0 | Camara |
| Kane | Wolof/Serer (Senegal) or Irish variant | 4.0 | Kané, Cain |
| Kaboré | Mossi (Burkina Faso) surname | 2.0 | Kabore, Kaboré |
| Koffi | Akan (Ivory Coast) often patronymic | unknown | Kofi, Koffi |
| Kouassi | Akan/Ivorian patronymic | unknown | Couassi, Kouassi |
| Kouadio | Akan/Ivorian patronymic | unknown | Couadio, Kouadio |
| Kouamé | duplicate avoided | unknown | N/A |
| Kerbrat | Breton ‘ker-‘ (village/house) + personal name | 0.6 | Kerbrat, Kerbratt |
| Kermarrec | Breton ‘ker’ + marsh/field | 0.4 | Kermarrec |
| Kerjean | Breton toponymic ‘ker’ name | 0.3 | Ker Jean, Kerjean |
| Kergoat | Breton ‘woods’ toponymic | 0.3 | Kergoat |
| Keraval | Breton locational name | 0.2 | Keraval |
| Keravel | Breton locational surname | 0.2 | Keravel |
| Kerbellec | Breton locational/family name | 0.1 | Kerbellec |
| Kervella | Breton locational surname | 0.3 | Kervella, Kervel |
| Kerouac | Breton ‘ker’ + ‘gwak’ (village of Gwak) | 0.1 | Kérouac |
| Kerguelen | Breton noble toponymic | 0.02 | Kerguelen |
| Kerdraon | Breton toponymic | unknown | Kerdraon |
| Kermadec | Breton toponymic | unknown | Kermadec |
| Kaya | Turkish ‘rock’ or Kurdish origin | unknown | Kaya |
| Kilic | Turkish ‘sword’ name (Kılıç) | unknown | Kilic, Kilitch |
| Korkmaz | Turkish origin ‘resistant’ | unknown | Korkmaz |
| Koc | Turkish ‘ram’ or occupational | unknown | Koç, Koc |
| Karapetian | Armenian patronymic ‘Karapet’ | unknown | Karapetyan, Karapetian |
| Kazarian | Armenian patronymic | unknown | Gasparian, Kazarian |
| Kassovitz | Eastern European/Jewish origin | 0.05 | Kassovitz |
| Kouchner | Levanto-Jewish/Middle Eastern origin | 0.2 | Kouchner |
| Koskas | Sephardic Jewish (Ottoman) origin | unknown | Koskaz |
| Koç | Turkish (original with cedilla) variant used in Latin script | unknown | Koc, Koç |
| Kuntz | Alsatian/Germanic name | 0.4 | Kunz, Kuntz |
| Keyser | Germanic/Dutch ’emperor’ variant | 0.3 | Keyser, Keyßer |
| Karmitz | Eastern European Jewish origin | 0.05 | Karmitz |
| Kassab | Levantine/Arabic surname | unknown | Kassab, Kassabe |
| Karaman | Turkish surname | unknown | Karaman |
| Kais | Maghrebi/Arabic variant of ‘Kais’ | unknown | Kais |
| Kassidi | West African/Mande origin | unknown | Kassidi |
| Kosma | Greek/Slavic origin present in France | unknown | Cosma, Kosma |
| Korsak | Slavic-origin surname found in France | unknown | Korsak |
| Kouider | Maghrebi (North African) origin | unknown | Kouider |
| Kapuściński | Polish origin sometimes used without diacritics | unknown | Kapuscinski, Kapu?csinski |
| Krom | Dutch/Germanic surname present in France | unknown | Krom |
Descriptions
Kahn
Common Jewish-Alsatian name in France; Jean-François Kahn (journalist); Claude Kahn (pianist).
Kieffer
Widely found in Alsace and Lorraine; often Germanic occupational roots, used by artisans and farmers.
Kiefer
German-language surname found in eastern France, Alsace-Lorraine regions; several local notables in crafts and sport.
Koenig
Alsatian/German-origin surname common in eastern France; historically noble and civic families.
Keller
Found in Alsace and across France, often from winemaking regions.
Klein
Alsace-origin surname present among French and Jewish families.
Kolb
Common in Alsace-Lorraine; family names tied to rural crafts.
Kopp
Alsatian surname present in French civil records, often from artisan families.
Knopf
Rare in France; Alsatian/German roots and craft associations.
Kramer
Found among Alsatian, German-origin families and Jewish communities in France.
Kaufmann
Ashkenazi and Alsatian presence in France; commercial-family origin.
Kaplan
Jewish surname borne in France; also Turkish families; cultural presence in arts and academia.
Katz
Jewish surname found in French registers; present in intellectual and commercial circles.
Kabbaj
Common among Moroccan-origin families in France; merchants and community figures.
Kacem
North African-origin surname in France, especially among Algerian and Tunisian communities.
Kaddouri
Found in francophone North African and Levantine diasporas; merchant and religious family ties.
Khalifa
Present among North African and Middle Eastern families in France.
Khalil
Used as surname among Levantine and Maghrebi communities in France.
Kabbah
Attested among West African diaspora in France; common in Guinean families.
Koné
One of the most common West African surnames in France; Arouna Koné (footballer).
Konaté
Frequent in francophone West African communities; Mamadou Konaté (Malian politician) historically notable.
Keïta
Well-attested Malian surname in France; Salif Keïta (musician); Seydou Keïta (photographer).
Koulibaly
Common among Ivorian/Malian families in France; Kalidou Koulibaly (footballer).
Kouyaté
Malian and West African musician families present in France; Bassekou Kouyaté noted musician.
Kouamé
Ivorian-origin surname widespread in France’s Ivorian diaspora.
Kamara
Frequent in West African communities in France; many athletes and cultural figures.
Kane
Common Senegalese surname in France; Amadou Kane (politician) type bearers in francophone Africa.
Kaboré
Burkinabé-origin surname; Roch Marc Christian Kaboré (former Burkina Faso president).
Koffi
Used as surname in Ivorian families in France; also common given name.
Kouassi
Common Ivorian family name present in French records.
Kouadio
Ivorian-origin surname attested among francophone Africans in France.
Kouamé
N/A
Kerbrat
Traditional Breton surname from Finistère; local political and cultural families.
Kermarrec
Breton family name common in Brittany; artisanal and maritime associations.
Kerjean
Breton surname found in northwest France; historic parish and rural roots.
Kergoat
Breton surname linked to agricultural and maritime communities.
Keraval
Found in Brittany and among Breton diaspora in France.
Keravel
Breton family name; fishing and coastal community origins.
Kerbellec
Rare Breton surname with maritime associations.
Kervella
Attested in Brittany; present in regional cultural life.
Kerouac
Breton-origin surname made famous by Jack Kerouac (writer), Breton roots.
Kerguelen
Rare Breton aristocratic name; Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (explorer).
Kerdraon
Breton family name attested in regional records.
Kermadec
Breton surname also attached to French maritime history (Kermadec islands namesake).
Kaya
Common among French residents of Turkish origin; present in commerce and sports.
Kilic
Turkish-origin surname used by Turkish-French communities.
Korkmaz
Used among Turkish diaspora in France; sports and small-business notables.
Koc
Turkish-family surname present in French municipal records.
Karapetian
Armenian-French surname; families active in business and culture.
Kazarian
Armenian diaspora surname common in France, present in arts and commerce.
Kassovitz
Famous via Mathieu Kassovitz (film director/actor); attested in French cultural circles.
Kouchner
Notable French surname: Bernard Kouchner (politician, co-founder of Médecins sans Frontières).
Koskas
Sephardic surname present in French Jewish communities with commercial traditions.
Koç
Turkish-origin families in France; transcribed without cedilla.
Kuntz
Alsace-origin surname appearing in French registers; craft and trade associations.
Keyser
Found among northern French and Flemish-origin families.
Karmitz
Notable French film figure Marin Karmitz (producer); present in French cinema circles.
Kassab
Lebanese/Syrian-origin name attested among francophone Levantine communities.
Karaman
Used by Turkish families in France; present in business and cultural sectors.
Kais
Attested among North African families living in France.
Kassidi
Found in francophone African diaspora communities in France.
Kosma
Rare but attested surname among immigrant families in France.
Korsak
Attested among Eastern European émigré families.
Kouider
North African family name present in France.
Kapuściński
Polish surname present among Polish-French communities (diacritics often dropped).
Krom
Rare immigrant-origin surname attested in French records.