Kienzle

For the watchmaker, see Kienzle Uhren.

Kienzle is a family name originating in the Swabian-speaking areas of Southwestern Germany. The traditional Swabian pronunciation of the name is [ˈkiə̯ntslə], and in Standard German it is pronounced with a long /iː/ rather than a diphthong: [ˈkiːntslə]. It is quite common in Swabia and other Alemannic-speaking areas.

Other forms of the name include Künzli in Switzerland (pronounced [ˈkyə̯ntsli] or [ˈxyə̯ntsli]).

Etymology

The name is ultimately derived from Middle High German Kuonrât (the keen advisor) from which the German first name "Konrad" is also derived. The appreviated form of Konrad is Kunz, which yielded the Swabian diminutive Küenzle which was subsequently changed to Kienzle through the de-rounding of front vowels around the 13th-14th century.^[1]

Persons

Ulrich Kienzle (born 1936), German journalist

↑ Werner König: dtv-Atlas der deutschen Sprache. München 1978

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