Kachel

This interesting and unusual surname recorded in the spellings of Kach, Kachel, Kachele, Kachler, Kacheller and the slavonic Cajkler, is of early Germanic origins. It derives from the pre 7th century word "kachel" meaning tile, and as such was an occupational name, for a maker of earthenware pots, tiles and other household goods, a vital skill in the ancient times. The name can also be topographical or locational, and refer to a person who came from a place called Kachel, where tiles were made. The Dictionary of Amercian surnames claims that the name is specific for the maker of "Dutch" tiles, these being specially glazed. Not surprisingly the surname is one of the first to be recorded, and early examples taken from authentic German rolls and charters of the period, include Hartlin Kacheln of Mainz, in 1322, Jergen Kacheli of Biberach, in the year1452, and Johan Kachel of Eibensbach, in 1464. The name also spread to surrounding countries, where the prefix letter "k" was sometimes replaced by "c". The first recorded spelling of the surname is believed to be that of Theodericus Kachelere from Offweiler, Germany, which was dated 1290 a.d., during the reign of Emperor Rudolf 1st, of the Holy Roman (German) Empire, 1273 - 1291.