Kessler or Keßler is a surname of German origin. It is an occupational name that means ''coppersmith'', or more precisely, a kettle (German ) maker. In alpine countries the name derived from the definition "the one living in the basin of a valley". The surname is frequent in America among Jewish (

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

) communities. People named Kessler include: *

Achim Kessler Achim Kessler (born 2 August 1964) is a German politician. Born in Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg, he represents The Left. Achim Kessler has served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Hesse from 2017 to October 2021 ...

(born 1964), German politician * Adolf Wilhelm von Kessler, German banker * Alice Harriet von Kessler, Anglo-Irish socialite * Alice & Ellen Kessler, twins known for their participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 * Amalia Kessler, American lawyer * Andrew Kessler (politician) (died 1896), American politician from Maryland * Anna Rose Kessler Moore, American singer * Andy Kessler (author), (born 1959), author, investor, financier * Andy Kessler (skateboarder), (died 2009), skateboarder * Barbara Kessler, American singer-songwriter *

Bruce Kessler Bruce Kessler (March 23, 1936 – April 4, 2024) was an American racing driver and film and television director. Racing career Bruce Kessler was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. He was the son of a clothin ...

, television and film director *

Chad Kessler Chad Stephen Kessler (born June 24, 1975) is an American former college football punter who played for the LSU Tigers. He was a consensus All-American in 1997. Early life Chad Stephen Kessler was born on June 24, 1975, in Orlando, Florida. He a ...

(born 1975), American football player * Claudia Kessler (born 1965), German aerospace engineer *

Cody Kessler Cody David Kessler (born May 11, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans, and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in t ...

(born 1993), American football player *

Daniel Kessler (guitarist) Daniel Alexander Kessler (born September 25, 1974) is an English-born American musician who is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the New York City-based band Interpol. Biography Interpol Kessler was born in London, England. It was his ...

, lead guitarist for post-punk band Interpol *

David Aaron Kessler David Aaron Kessler (born May 13, 1951) is an American pediatrician, attorney, author, and administrator (both academic and governmental) serving as Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team since 2021. Kessler was the com ...

, scientist and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration *

David Kessler (actor) David Kessler (1860–1920) was a prominent actor in the first great era of Yiddish theater. As a star Yiddish dramatic performer in New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United State ...

, (1860–1920), Yiddish actor * Donald J. Kessler, NASA scientist *

Edwin Kessler Edwin Kessler III (December 2, 1928 – February 21, 2017) was an American atmospheric scientist who oversaw the development of Doppler weather radar and was the first director of the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). Early life Kessler ...

(1928–2017), American atmospheric scientist *

Emil Kessler Emil Julius Carl Kessler (20 August 1813 – 16 March 1867) was a German businessman and founder of the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen ('Esslingen Engineering Works'). Biography Kessler was born in Baden-Baden, attended school there and later studied c ...

(1813–1867), German engineer and businessman * Frederick P. Kessler, Wisconsin legislator *

Friedrich Kessler Friedrich "Fritz" Kessler (August 25, 1901 – January 21, 1998) was an American law professor who taught at Yale Law School (1935–1938, 1947–1970), University of Chicago Law School, and University of California, Berkeley School of Law. He was ...

, (1901–1998), American academic and scholar *

Friedrich August Kessler Friedrich August Kessler (30 December 1826 – April 1906) was a German landscape painter of the Düsseldorf school of painting. Life Kessler received his first painting lessons from his father, Christian Friedrich Kessler (1799–1854). In 184 ...

(1842–1921), German landscape painter *

Geldolph Adriaan Kessler Geldolph Adriaan "Dolf" Kessler (2 April 1884 – 21 August 1945) was a Dutch association football, footballer and industrialist. Kessler – along with brother Boelie Kessler, Boeli and cousins Tonny Kessler, Tonny and Dé Kessler, Dé – playe ...

, Dutch industrialist and footballer *

George Kessler George Edward Kessler (July 16, 1862 – March 20, 1923) was an American pioneer city planner and landscape architect. Over the course of his forty-one year career, George E. Kessler completed over 200 projects and prepared plans for 26 co ...

, city planner and landscape architect *

Germán Kessler Germán Kessler (born 1 July 1994) is a Uruguayan rugby union player who currently plays for Rouen in France's Nationale. International career In 2014, he was called by the Uruguayan U20 national team to compete at the 2014 IRB Junior World ...

(born 1994), Uruguayan rugby union player *

Gladys Kessler Gladys Kessler (January 22, 1938 – March 16, 2023) was a United States district judge of the District Court for the District of Columbia. Education and career After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and Bachelor of ...

, American jurist *

Glenn Kessler (journalist) Glenn Kessler (born July 6, 1959) is an American editor and writer who has written "The Fact Checker" feature for ''The Washington Post'' since 2011. Career Kessler is a 1981 graduate of Brown University and received a Masters of International ...

, American journalist and author *

Glenn Kessler (screenwriter) Glenn Kessler (born April 6, 1970) is an American screenwriter, television producer, actor, and director. Early life and education Kessler grew up in the suburbs of Detroit suburb and graduated from the Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield H ...

, American screenwriter and television producer *

Gustav Kessler Gustav Kessler (German spelling: ''Keßler''; 1832–1904) was a German trade unionist. In his early life he had been apprenticed as a carpenter before qualifying as a state registered architect (German: ''Regierungsbaumeister''). He became a soci ...

, German trade unionist *

Harry von Kessler Count Harry Clemens Ulrich von Kessler (''Harry Clemens Ulrich Graf von Kessler'' in German; 23 May 1868 – 30 November 1937), also known as Harry Graf Kessler, was an Anglo-German diplomat, writer, and patron of modern art. English translati ...

(1868–1937), an Anglo-German count, diplomat, writer, and patron of modern art * Heinz Kessler (1920–2017), general from East Germany * Henry Kessler (baseball) (1847–1900), American baseball player *

Jason Kessler Jason Eric Kessler (born September 22, 1983) is an American neo-Nazi, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theorist. Kessler organized the Unite the Right rally held in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11–12, 2017, and the Unite ...

(born 1983), organizer of the deadly white nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia *

Jean Baptiste August Kessler Jean Baptiste August Kessler (15 December 1853 – 14 December 1900) was a Dutch entrepreneur and oil explorer who was largely responsible for the growth and development of the Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., now part of present-day Shell. Early lif ...

, Dutch oil explorer * Jeffrey L. Kessler (born 1954), American sports attorney * Jeffrey V. Kessler (born 1955), American politician *

Jimmy Kessler James Lee Kessler
, Hebrew Union College, 12 March 1997, Retrieved on 2012-03-13. (born December 10, 1945), ...

, the first native Texan to assume leadership of Congregation B'nai Israel, Galveston, Texas * John Kessler, Wisconsin legislator * John Kessler (naval historian) (1761–1840) * John Kessler, birth name of Jack Baker (magician) (1913/1914–1980), American magician *

Josef Alois Kessler Joseph Aloysius Kessler (, ; August 12, 1862 – December 10, 1933) was the last bishop of the Diocese of Tiraspol in Russia and the last Volga German bishop until Bishop Joseph Werth, SJ. Biography Joseph Kessler was born 12 August 1862 in ...

, Volga German bishop *

Joseph Christoph Kessler Joseph Christoph Kessler (26 August 180014 January 1872), also seen as Kötzler, was a German pianist and composer who was active mostly in the Austrian Empire. His études, nocturnes, variations, preludes and bagatelles were praised by such peopl ...

, German pianist and composer * Julius Kessler, was the founder of Kessler Whiskey *

Karl Fedorovich Kessler Karl Fedorovich Kessler (; – ) was a Baltic German zoologist who worked as a professor of biology at Saint Petersburg Imperial University. Among his contributions was the idea that evolution at an infraspecific level involved mutual aid a ...

(1815–1881), German-Russian zoologist; author of zoological taxa signed ''Kessler'' * Karl G. Kessler (1919–1997), American physicist * Katja Kessler (born 1969), German journalist *

Kent Kessler Kent Kessler (born January 28, 1957) is an American jazz double-bassist. Career Although born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Kessler grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He began playing trombone at age ten. When he was thirteen, he moved with his f ...

(born 1957), American musician *

Linse Kessler Lenina "Linse" Coleman (born Lenina Christiansen) better known as Linse Kessler (born 31 March 1966) is a Danish television personality, actress and businesswoman. She is known for her ownership of "Scandinavia's largest silicone breasts" and for ...

(born 1966), Danish television personality, actress and businesswoman * Liz Kessler, British author of children's books *

Matthias Kessler Matthias Kessler (born 16 May 1979 in Nuremberg) is a German former professional road racing cyclist who competed from 2000 to 2007 for and . Biography Kessler debuted as a pro during the 2000 season after becoming German under 23 champion in 1 ...

, German professional road racing cyclist *

McCartney Kessler McCartney Kessler (born July 8, 1999) is an American tennis player. She has career-high WTA rankings of No. 32 in singles, and No. 152 in doubles, achieved on March 31, 2025. Kessler has won three singles titles on the WTA Tour. Early life Fro ...

, (born 1999), American tennis player * Meredith Kessler (born 1978), American athlete *

Meir Kessler Meir Kessler (; born February 17, 1961) is the Chief Rabbi and head of Rabbinical Court of Modi'in Illit. Biography He was born in Bnei Brak to Rabbi Simcha and Tova Gitel Kessler. He studied at the Ponevezh yeshiva and afterward at Kol Torah ...

, rabbi *

Michael Kessler Michael Kessler (born 24 June 1967) is a German actor, comedian and author. Career Theater Kessler had his acting training at the Westfälische Schauspielschule Bochum from 1988 to 1992. Afterwards he began acting roles at Schauspielhaus ...

, German actor and comedian * Michael G. Kessler, cited as first "forensic auditor", founder of Kessler International *

Mikkel Kessler Mikkel Kessler (born 1 March 1979) is a Danish former professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the World Boxing Association (WBA) title (Super and Regular versions) th ...

, Danish boxer * Minuetta Kessler (1914–2002), Canadian/American concert pianist, classical music composer, and educator *

Nadine Keßler Nadine Keßler (; born 4 April 1988) is a German retired footballer and current UEFA's head of women's football. She played for VfL Wolfsburg and the German national team. Keßler was the recipient of the FIFA World Player of the Year award at ...

, retired German footballer * Oren Kessler, American political analyst, author and journalist * Paul Joseph Antonius Kessler (born 1958), German botanist and entomologist * Robert Kessler, All American basketball player (Purdue) and GM executive *

Ronald Kessler Ronald Borek Kessler (born Ronald Borek; December 31, 1943) is an American journalist and author of 21 non-fiction books about the White House, U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and CIA. Early life and education Kessler was born in The Bronx, New Yor ...

, American journalist and author * Ronald C. Kessler (born 1947) American sociologist and psychiatrical epidemiologist *

Ryan Kesler Ryan James Kesler (born August 31, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Selected in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Kesler spent the first 10 years of his National Hoc ...

, American NHL player *

Todd Kessler Todd Kessler is an American film and television writer, producer and director. Among his credits are showrunner and co-creator of Nickelodeon's preschool series ''Blue's Clues'' and director and producer of the feature film '' Keith'' (2008). ...

, American film and television writer, producer, director, co-creator of

Blue's Clues ''Blue's Clues'' is an American interactive educational television, educational children's television series created by Traci Paige Johnson, Todd Kessler, and Angela Santomero, Angela C. Santomero. It premiered on Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. block ...

Todd Ellis Kessler Todd Ellis Kessler is an American television producer and writer. He has worked in both capacities on varied series including ''The Practice'', ''Crossing Jordan'', '' Kevin Hill'', ''The Unit'' and ''The Good Wife''. He has been nominated for da ...

, American television writer and producer *

Walker Kessler Walker Ross Kessler (born July 26, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and Auburn Tigers. Early life Ke ...

(born 2001), American basketball player

Fictional people

* Kessler, main antagonist in the video game, ''

inFamous Infamous may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Infamous'' (2006 film), an American drama film * ''Infamous'' (2020 film), an American crime thriller film * "Infamous", an episode of ''Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spin ...

'' * At the time of the shooting of the original ''Seinfeld'' pilot titled " The Seinfeld Chronicles", Kenny Kramer had not yet given consent to use his name, and so

Cosmo Kramer Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to simply by his surname, is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on comedian Kenny Kramer, Larry David' ...

's character was originally referred to as "Kessler" * David Kessler is the name of the main character in the 1981 comedy-horror film ''

An American Werewolf in London ''An American Werewolf in London'' is a 1981 comedy horror film written and directed by John Landis. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne and ...

'' * Edward Anselm 'Eddie' Kessler is the name of a character in HBO's ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter for the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series sta ...

''. * Monty Kessler is the name of Brendan Fraser's character in the film '' With Honours'' * Ulrich Kesler (voiced by Shūichi Ikeda) is a character in the science-fiction series ''

Legend of the Galactic Heroes , sometimes abbreviated as ''LOTGH'', ''LOGH'', ''LGH'' or in Japanese (and also depicted as ''Heldensagen vom Kosmosinsel'' in the anime intro), is a series of Epic (genre), epic science fiction novels written by Yoshiki Tanak ...

''. * Marie Kessler, aunt of protagonist Nick Burkhart in ''

Grimm Grimm may refer to: People * Grimm (surname) * Brothers Grimm, German linguists ** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist ** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm * Christia ...

'' * Kelly Kessler Burkhart, mother of protagonist Nick BurkHart in ''Grimm'' * Donald Kessler, a character played by

Pierce Brosnan Pierce Brendan Brosnan (born 16 May 1953) is an Irish actor and film producer. He was the fifth actor to play the fictional secret agent Portrayal of James Bond in film, James Bond in the List of James Bond films, James Bond film series, starri ...

in the 1996 science fiction comedy film ''

Mars Attacks! ''Mars Attacks!'' is a 1996 American science fiction film, science fiction black comedy, black comedy film directed by Tim Burton, who also co-produced it with Larry J. Franco. The screenplay by Jonathan Gems was based on the Topps trading ca ...

'' * Baroness Kessler, a character played by

Barbara Jefford Barbara Mary Jefford, OBE (26 July 1930 – 12 September 2020) was a British actress, best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre and her role as Molly Bloom in the 1967 ...

in the 1999 mystery thriller film '' The Ninth Gate'' * Mitch Kessler, the main character, played by

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He starred as Michael Scott in the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2011, 2013), and also worked at several points as a producer, executive producer, writer, a ...

, of the Apple TV+ television show '' The Morning Show'' * Gestapo Sturmbannführer Ludwig Kessler (played by

Clifford Rose John Clifford Rose (24 October 1929 – 6 November 2021) was a British actor. Life and career Rose was born in Herefordshire. He was educated at the King's School, Worcester, and King's College London, before appearing in rep and began his ass ...

), a character in the TV series '' Secret Army'' and '' Kessler'' * Henry Kessler, a character played by

Michael Beach Michael Anthony Beach (born October 30, 1963) is an American actor. He has appeared in the films '' Lean on Me'' (1989), ''One False Move'' (1992), ''Short Cuts'' (1993), ''Waiting to Exhale'' (1995), ''A Family Thing'' (1996), ''Soul Food'' (19 ...

in the 2023

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

Saw X ''Saw X'' is a 2023 American horror film directed and edited by Kevin Greutert, and written by Peter Goldfinger and Josh Stolberg. It is the tenth installment in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' film series, following ''Spiral (2021 film), Spiral'' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kessler Surnames of Jewish origin Occupational surnames Yiddish-language surnames Dutch-language surnames German-language surnames

Fictional people

See also

References