Kriss Foundation
This site explores family history in the context of cultural and political events.
Media Archive
We are continually adding photographs, documents, and audio media relating to our family history. Please email new digital images or other media you wish to share. Our goal is to digitize the entire existing collection of 1880-1950 materials for future generations. And your comments are always welcome!
Genealogy Online
The interactive online genealogy application, Webtrees 2.1x, covering over 2700 relatives in more than 1000 family groups is continually updated. You can view living family members only as a registered user.
Surname origins
Kriss
Russian spelling variant from the Czech
Kriz. Also spelled
Kris,
Kryss, and
Krys. Probably derived from
kriein meaning to anoint, linked to the Hebrew
mashiach meaning messiah. Implied meaning may be 'one who will anoint the messiah' or 'anointed one'. This suggests the ancient Jewish tradition whereby the priestly Cohanim class is vested with the responsibility of anointing those direct descendents of King David as the messiah. The latter usage eventually evolved into the name
Christian, probably first introduced in the early middle ages in France, and through the Norman conquest, into England. Also likely to be metronymic in origin among Ashkenazic Jews. Recently of Czech or Russian Ashkenazic Jewish origin, but earlier derived from French through Hebrew influences. Surname probably predates 1700. Non-Jewish derivation is probably a variant of Swiss German
Kries, an Alemannic form of
Kirsch (a cherry).
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