Show ContentsKocher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Kocher

What does the name Kocher mean?

Bavaria, Germany is the ancestral home of the Kocher family. The Kocher surname is derived from the Latin word "coquus," which denotes the "art of cookery." Kocher was originally an occupational name, for a cook.

Early Origins of the Kocher family

The surname Kocher was first found in Bavaria, where the family made a considerable contribution to the feudal society which shaped modern Europe.

Early History of the Kocher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kocher research. Another 296 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1552, 1637, 1688, 1694, 1738, 1747, 1748, 1769, 1815 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Kocher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kocher Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Kocher include Koch, Koche, Kochen, Koech, Koeche, Koechen, Coch, Coche, Cochen, Coech, Coeche, Coechen, Koechle, Koechly, Koechli, Kock, Kochs, Kocks and many more.

Early Notables of the Kocher family

Prominent among members of the name Kocher in this period include Conrad Reinhold von Koch, an advisor on justice at the royal Schleswig-Holstein court, who was knighted in 1769. He was born in 1738 as the son of a chamberlain of the court at Darmstadt and was the brother of the famous scholar and professor of state law at the University of Strassburg...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kocher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kocher Ranking

In the United States, the name Kocher is the 5,776th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Kocher is ranked the 9,268th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 2


Kocher migration to the United States +

European migration to North America began in the mid-17th century and continued unabated until the mid-20th. Many Bavarians made the long trip to escape poverty or persecution based on their religious beliefs. The chance for tenant farmers to own their own land was also a major drawing card. They settled all across the United States in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many came to Canada also, settling in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Analysis of immigration records has shown some of the first Kochers to arrive in North America, and among them were:

Kocher Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Georg Kocher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • Martin Kocher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • Laus Kocher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • Peter Kocher, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1738 3
  • George Kocher, (b. 1732), who arrived in Georgia in 1741 aboard the ship "Loyal Judith" 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Kocher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Philip Kocher, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1870 3
  • Gottleib Kocher, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1877 3
  • Friedrich Kocher, who arrived in Kentucky in 1882 3
Kocher Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Tominikus Kocher, who landed in Arkansas in 1904 3
  • Louis Kocher, who arrived in Arkansas in 1904 3
  • Achatz Kocher, who landed in Arkansas in 1906 3

Kocher migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kocher Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Jean Kocher, who landed in Red River, Canada in 1821

Contemporary Notables of the name Kocher (post 1700) +

  • Paul Carl Kocher (b. 1973), American cryptographer and cryptography consultant, President and Chief Scientist of Cryptography Research, Inc
  • Victor Kocher, American Libertarian politician, Candidate for U.S. Senator from South Carolina, 2002 4
  • John A. Kocher, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1996 4
  • Martina Kocher (b. 1985), Swiss Olympic luger
  • Zina Kocher (b. 1982), Canadian Olympic Games bi-athlete
  • Emil Theodor Kocher (1841-1917), Swiss physician and medical researcher who developed the Kocher manoeuvre, recipient of the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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