Surname meaning for "Kieker" or "VonKieker"?

Question

I have been trying to find the meaning of my last name. So far I have had no luck. The last name Kieker does not seem to exist. Yet at the same time i can find marriage records of Kiekers.

My last name is of German origin, and i was told by my Grandfather that when his family came to the states from Germany they dropped the prefix "Von".

I would really like a website that has my last names meaning, excluding anyones that you have to pay to use.

Thank You very much.

Answer 1

Your name is Low German. "Kieken" is a verb, meaning to look or to watch, and a "Kieker" is a person who is doing this. The name is not very common. There are some more "Kiecker", and for that version you can find an explanation on the web:

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Kiecker-fa...

http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/en/D... (cklick on RESEARCH two times)

Something funny by the way: in our days "Kieker" is even the Low German word for "binocular".

As you know, "von" as a prefix of a name is an attribute of nobility. If you can prove that your family just dropped it, you still have the right to reassume it, if you like to.