Kohl is a German surname derived from the word kohl, meaning cabbage. It tends to originate as an occupational name for a merchant or cultivator of the crops.

Cabbage was most likely domesticated somewhere in Europe in Ancient history before 1000 BC. Cabbage in the cuisine has been documented since Antiquity. It was described as a table luxury in the Roman Empire. By the Middle Ages, cabbage had become a prominent part of European cuisine, as indicated by manuscript illuminations. New variates were introduced from the Renaissance on, mostly by Germanic-speaking peoples.

Notable people with the surname

See also