Kienzle is a

family name In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

originating in the Swabian-speaking areas of Southwestern Germany. The traditional Swabian pronunciation of the name is , and in Standard German it is pronounced with a long rather than a

diphthong A diphthong ( ; , ), also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of the speech o ...

: . It is quite common in Swabia and other

Alemannic Alemannic (''Alamannic'') or Alamanni may refer to: * Alemannic German, a dialect family in the Upper German branch of the German languages and its speakers * Alemanni, a confederation of Suebian Germanic tribes in the Roman period * Alamanni (surna ...

-speaking areas. Other forms of the name include ''Künzli'' in Switzerland (pronounced or ).

Etymology

The name is ultimately derived from Middle High German ''Kuonrât'' (the keen advisor) from which the German first name "Konrad" is also derived. The abbreviated form of Konrad is Kunz, which yielded the Swabian

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

''Küenzle'' which was subsequently changed to ''Kienzle'' through the de-rounding of front vowels around the 13th-14th century.

Persons

Ulrich Kienzle Ulrich Kienzle (; 9 May 1936 – 16 April 2020) was a German journalist and author. He was known for specializing in the politics and culture of the Middle East. He worked for several broadcasters, including German public television network ...

(1936–2020), German journalist * Captain Herbert Thomson Kienzle MID OBE MBE. Australian Army during World War II, enlistment number PX177, the "P" indicating residency of Papua New Guinea and the "X" indicating membership of the 2nd Australian Imperial Force. Born 19 May 1905 at Levuka in Fiji, became a leader in

ANGAU The Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) was a civil administration of Territory of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea formed on 21 March 1942 during World War II. The civil administration of both Papua and the Mand ...

and New Guinea Force against the Japanese in New Guinea during WW2, designing and organising construction efforts along the

Kokoda Track The Kokoda Track or Trail is a single-file foot thoroughfare that runs overland – in a straight line – through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The track was the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese ...

while in command of Papuans, then engineered supply efforts along the track to Australian and American troops fighting along the track and in subsequent battles on the north coast of Papua. Also (the brother of Herbert Thomson Kienzle) NX23282 Major Wallace Alfred Tom Kienzle (the "N" indicating enlistment in New South Wales), 2/2nd Machine Gun Battalion, ANGAU and New Guinea Force, Australian Army. Veteran of New Guinea and Bougainville during WW2. {{reflist Surnames