Kerl

See also: kerl

English

Etymology

Borrowed from German Kerl (“freeman of non-aristocratic descent”).

Proper noun

Kerl (plural Kerls)

1. A surname from German.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Kerl is the 35812^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 627 individuals. Kerl is most common among White (82.78%) and Black/African American (10.85%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Kerl”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 295.

Central Franconian

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kerl, from Old Saxon *keril, from Proto-West Germanic *karil.

Noun

Kerl m

1. (Moselle Franconian / Hunsrückisch) fellow, guy, chap, bloke, man
   • 1874, Peter Joseph Rottmann, Gedichte in Hunsrücker Mundart, page 3:

     Wer sall meich dann bei die Spielleit fehre, / Wann eich naunder meine Kerl verleere? / Geh, eich wullt, datt Deich der Deiwel hätt!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kerl, from Old Saxon *keril, from Proto-West Germanic *karil.

Cognate with Old High German karal. Akin to Dutch kerel, English churl, Old Norse karl, Danish karl.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɛʁl/, [kɛʁl], [kɛɐ̯l]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Kerl m (strong, genitive Kerls, plural Kerle or Kerls, diminutive Kerlchen n)

1. fellow, guy, chap, bloke
2. (obsolete) freeman

Usage notes

• The normal plural is Kerle.
• The plural Kerls is widely restricted to northern Germany. Compare a well-known former Prussian guard regiment called Lange Kerls (“tall fellows”).

Declension

Declension of Kerl [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Kerl	die	Kerle, Kerls
genitive	eines	des	Kerls	der	Kerle, Kerls
dative	einem	dem	Kerl	den	Kerlen, Kerls
accusative	einen	den	Kerl	die	Kerle, Kerls

Derived terms

• Dreckskerl
• Hauptkerl
• Ker (regional)
• Mistkerl
• Scheißkerl

See also

• Typ m

Further reading

• “Kerl” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Kerl” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Kerl” in Duden online
• “Kerl” in OpenThesaurus.de
• Friedrich Kluge (1883) “Kerl”, in John Francis Davis, transl., Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, published 1891

Hunsrik

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Low German kerl, from Old Saxon *keril, from Proto-West Germanic *karil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰɛl/

Noun

Kerl m (plural Kerle)

1. fellow, guy, chap, bloke, man

   Wer is dart där Kerl?

   Who is that guy?

   • 2020, Aesop, Piter Keo, De Wollef un das Lamm (yt):

     "Faarichsjoher, du Kerl, host-du mich gropp geschennd."

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Further reading

• Online Hunsrik Dictionary

Old Frisian

Proper noun

Kerl

1. Charles