What does the name Kessler Mean?
The name Kessler derives from the German, Dutch and Ashkenazic name for a maker of copper cooking vessels. In German it derived from a Middle Hghg German kezzel “kettle”, ‘cauldron’. In Middle Dutch is was a ketel and in modern German Kessel.
Another theory states the name sometimes came from a biblical male name Yekutiel which was often shortened to Kessel.
A third theory is that Kessler could be based on a town, city or region or country. There is a locality called Kessel in northern German. The German suffix “-er” indicates “of or from”.
Similar surnames include: Fessler, Keisler, Kissler, Tessler, Kensler, Sessler, Wessler, Kessel, Keszler
What does the name Charipper Mean? (added February 20, 2025)
Based on family stories, Charipper could have come from Shapiro or it could have come from the Italian name “chiarappa” . That makes sense of the spelling (one r, two p’s) and that people escaping Spain might have come first to Italy. According to my Ancient Origins Report produced by MyHeritage.com on February 20, 2025, my origins do contain an Italian component.
According to Forebears.io/surnames/chiarappa, the surname Chiarappa is found most frequently in Italy. It is the 286,665th most common surname world-wide, borne by around 1 in 5,438,467 people. It is also common in the United States and in Argentina.
Similar names include Sciarappa, Shiarappa, Chiarappi, Chiarappo, Chiarapo, Sciarapa, Sciarapo, Chiaroppi, Sciarrapa, and others.
Our Kessler and Charipper Beginnings
We know that Bertha Charipper came from Brody, but we do not know exactly where in Poland/ Austria Samuel Kessler came from. Samuel’s parents were Tzvi Hirsch and Hudas (Yehudit), both common names which do not give us too much to go on.
Bertha’s parents were Sarah Zarke and Abraham Yitzak Charipper. Her half-brother, who was raised by her mother, settled in Vienna and raised a family there. That could be the connection to Samuel and Bertha living in Vienna.
To learn what life in Brody was like when Bertha was growing up there, go to the Brody page. To learn what Vienna was like when Samuel and Bertha might have live there, go to the Vienna page.
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