Kolbe Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Kolbe last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Kolbe last name
Meaning of the Kolbe last name: club. Kolbe is a German surname from Kolben, "club" or "cudgel", a nickname for a sturdy man or for someone with a club-shaped haircut. It is found in central and eastern Germany. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish friar of Auschwitz, carried this last name.
Arms associated with the Kolbe name
Coats of arms associated with the Kolbe name follow the German heraldic style of simple shapes and few colours, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Kolbe family history
This is only a glimpse of the Kolbe story. The full Kolbe history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Kolbe coat of arms. Get the full Kolbe report.
Kolbe name FAQ
What does the Kolbe name mean?
Club. Common variants include Kolb, Kolbeck.
Where does the Kolbe surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States, Austria and Switzerland.
Is there a Kolbe coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Kolbe coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Duden Familiennamen; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).