The Kühner | Keener surname in Amerika
The German Kühner (or Knörr, Köener) surname is a derivative of Kühn (short for Conrad), like Kuntz, Koons, Kuhne, Kuehn, Kuhns, Kihn, Coon, Coons, Coen, Coone, Kunz, Kuntz, Kuhne, Kohn, Kuehne, and Kühne. In Amerika it has been anglicized in a variety of ways including: Keener, Khner, Kienar, Khnert, Kenar, Kinar, Kuner, Kner, Kiener, Keene, Kunner, Kenner, Keemer, Kiner, Keuhner, Kuehner, Kiehner, Kuhnerin, Kaner, Koener, Keihner, Keined, Keiner, Keinert, Kuhner, Keehner, Kyner, and Kyhner. Keener (and possibly other variants) is also a common English or Irish surname with the same root and meaning as the German.
The German surname is derived from the Old High German kühn (keen), which probably meant brave and skilled originally. The German word shares the same proto-Indo-European root as the English keen: ǵenə-, ǵnō- (“to know”). Per Merriam-Webster, the modern English keen (keener, keenest) also means “wonderful” or “excellent.” And according to Wentworth & Flexner (Dictionary of American Slang, 1960) you should prefix it with peachy- if intended ironically. The Irish added the notion of “lament loudly over the dead“ or ” bitterly wail” which was popularized as professional mourners (typically Irish women) in Richard Condon’s imaginary book The Keener’s Manual.
For some help with the pronunciation of Kühner (for native English speakers), see this post. Additional information about the Kühner (Keener) surname and over a quarter millennium of my family genealogy and history in rural North Carolina (USA)— starting with Casper (1680–1762) and his son Abraham (1717–1795) — is available in my eBook released January 20th. For more information and references, go here.
Wir haben hier leider keinen Esel der Gold kackt im Keller!
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