The Kysilka Genealogy

A Czech Millers´Family of Litomyšl

"It will soon be 15 years since I found in my father´s papers a calligraphic ancestor chart of our family, which began (I should rather say ended) so far away at the beginning of the 19th century.

... And there was a darkness before!

"This darkness was so chilling and exciting, that I was lured all the time and I tried to penetrate this twilight of the past"

What you can find here ?

The Origin and Explanation of the Surname Kysilka

Kysilka, Kysylka, Kysilko, Kysylko, Kisilka, Kisilko, in Moravia also Kyselka - these all are varieties how to spell our family name and how they appeared in specific documents and sources.

Primary it is derived from the adjective kysely - sour, or wry. Sour may be sauerkraut, milk, apple, bread or sorrel, figuratively  man can be wry, annoyed, indignant, angry, even surly, cruel or even vicious.

I am of the opinion, that this surname appeared in connection with a special East Bohemian soup called kyselo. It was originally a cream   fermented soup with dill, sauerkraut, scrambled eggs. When potatoes appeared in  our countries in the end of 18th century and became the main source of alimentation, they started to be used in this soup in the same way as we know it today.

In about 1470 there is a mention of a surf farmer Kyselo in the village of Osik, 4 kilometers to the SW of Litomysl. The first mention of our surname Kysilko is from 1582, when a  miller of Horni Ujezd, the next village of Osik, is called Vavra (Laurentius), a.k.a. Kysylko. The -o was changed to -a later, though even in 19th century there are some records still referring to Kysilko

Dobrava Moldanova in her book Naše příjmení (Praha 1983)  quotes the following varieties of surnames, derived from the adjective kysely (Page 123) :

Kysel , a noun form of adj. kyselý. A(appellativum) kysel=a sour soup.Kysel-a (sometimes for kyselo = a sauerkraut soup), Kysel-ak (sour vine, apple kyselé apple, sorrel, a pot for leaven for kyselo), Kysel-ec, Kysel-ica (sour cherries,dry fruit soup), Kysel-ka, Kysel-nice, Kysel-nik, Kysel-o, Kysel-y, (figuratively also wry), Kysilka, Kyslik (dimin. form of. A.. Kysel), Kyska.

The family name Kysil can be added to this nest. It is probably an abbreviation of the surname Kysilka.

Distribution of family name Kysilka in Bohemia and Moravia

The contemporary Telephone directory of Prague shows following surnames:

Our surname is very rare statistically. The frequency  is about 0,1 to 0,2 pro mile (per thousand), which means  1- 2  bearers of our surname in a medium town of 10.000 inhabitants.

For comparison: The relative appearance of the most frequent Czech surname Novak provides the results between 8 - 9 pro mile (per thousand), i.e. 80 - 90 Novaks per 10.000 people.
Cf. my article on Czech surnames (in English)

The family name Kysilka is of East Bohemian origin. There are only two original regions, where our surname appeared in the 16th century and  is rather frequent today.

1. the town of Litomyšl and its surrounding ,mainly communities Horni- and  Dolni Ujezd, Porici, Desna, Mladocov a Budislav, from where the surname Kysilka spread over to Policka district (Sebranice, Leznik, Policka, Borova, Svata Katerina)and further to region of Skutec, Svratka and Hlinsko (Prosetin, Krouna, Svratka, Cachnov), and the other side of Chocen, Brandys n. Orl. and Vysoke Myto  ( Sloupnice, Hrusova). Today the descendants of these families have been living throughout the whole Pardubice, Hradec Kralove and usti n. Orlici regions..

2. the town of  Podebrady and neigboring villages: ,in Sokolec, there is the first record on the surname Kysilka in the beginning of  the 17th century. Kysilka families have been living in Novy Bydzov, Kolin, Chlumec n. Cidl. and as far as Semily and Turnov.

During the 20th century and after the WWII the Kysilkas have settled in Marianske Lazne,Teplice, Usti n.L., in Brno, Boskovice, Stramberk, Ostrava, Bilovec, Studenka and, of course, in Prague. Their ancestry can be traced in all cases anymore.

3. The origin of the family name Kyselka is very interesting. I have ever thought, that Kyselka (because of the -e- in the middle of the word) must be of Moravian origin and has nothing to do with both Czech issues. The name Kyselka can be found in Brno and its surrounding, in Vyskov, rousinov, Zlin and Ostrava region. The original center was a small village of Saratice, east of Brno, where this family name is recorded around 1780. I managed to prove, that the original spelling was Kysilka as well and two or three families moved there from Sebranice near Policka.

Only one bearer of our family name makes me troubles. Jiri Pacovsky a.k.a. Kysilka (Kysilko), was an inhabitant and bourgher of the Greater Town of Prague after the Thirty-Year-War. He was very healthy and owned three big houses in St. Henry´s and St. Stephen´s Quarters.

Distribution of the family name Kysilka (and Kyselka) in Bohemia and Moravia

Explanation: 1 - The original area, 2 - Areas, where name Kysilka was spread over alredy util end of 18. cent., 3- Areas, where the Kysilkas settled after abolition of the serfdom (free movement was allowed)
4 -Secondary centers, where the name appeared in the 20th cent., 5 - Villages with Kysilka surname in 16th cent.,
6- Villages with the Kysilkas in the 17th and until half of 18th cent., 7 - The border between continuous Czech and German population until 19476

Poznámka:  Vybarvená plocha zároveň přibližně vymezuje   frekvenci dnešního výskytu našeho příjmení. V puvodních jádrech (1) se pohybuje mezi 1 - 2 promile na celkovém obyvatelstvu,  v plochách vyznačených modrou barvou (2) je četnost výskytu mezi 0,5 - 1 o/oo, v oblastech vyznačených kompaktní žlutou barvou (3) je četnost nad celostátním průměrem (cca 0, 2 o/oo). V oblastech, kam Kysilkové přišli až ve 20. století (4), je četnost výskytu obdobná (0,2 - 0,5 o/oo)

Tabulka uvádí počty Kysilků ( bez Kyselků) v jednotlivých UTO podle telefonních seznamů z let 1994 - 1998. UTO jsou seřazeny podle relativní četnosti výskytu.

Je nutno sice počítat s velkou statistickou chybou (může v některých případech dosahovat až 50%), ale dosavadní výsledky pátrání (a nejenem u našeho rodu)  mne utvrzují v tom, že metoda používání telef. seznamů jako reprez. vzorku obyvatelstva je použitelná u větších měst a UTO.

Novadays, the number of all Kysilka families in the Czech republic is around 200. We do not have famous and important ancestors as other families may boast. The Kysilkas were serfs, more artisans then farmers. They were millers, butchers, tailors, weavers, inn-keepers, one or two teachers until the beginning of the 19th century. They mostly inclined  to a Protestant belief (the Helvetics or Czech/Moravian Brethren).

I would like to draw the attention to several members of our kin:

Frantisek Kysilka of Boskovice, was  teacher and singer in the Moravian Teachers´ Chorus. Betty Kysilka was an esteemed actress of the National Theater in Prague in 1920s and 1930s, whereas Marie Kyselka performed the Golden-star-princess in a famous Czech movie in 1950s. Bohdan Kysil is ranked among our well known TV directors.

Zdenek Kysilka and his first wife Sylva were distinguished alpinists. Sylva was the first woman who climbed the North Walls of Eiger and Matterhorn. In 1970 the Czechoslovak National Team was all perished under the avalanche near the Mount of Huascaran in Peru, except of Zdenek who saved his life by not being admitted to this expeditions for his political attitudes in 1968.

Hugo Kysilka and mainly his cousin Pavel Kysilka are famous Czech economists. Pavel Kysilka is vicegovernor of the Czech National Bank.

Another Frantisek Kysilka was teacher and schoolmaster, he was a friend of Czech painters Max Svabinsky, Jiri Trnka and Salac.
Vaclav Kysilka was a notable lowyer in Brno, Vladimir Kysilka a reputable psychiatrist, another Vladimir is chemist, whereas  Mojmir Kyselka is a famous Moravian architect.

... and abroad

The emigration from the East Bohemian Region in the 2nd half of 19th century was rather frequent. The emigration aimed not only to the USA, but also to fertile regions of Slavonia, Banat and Ukraine. The population of the Austrian capital Vienna was formed by one fourth by the Czechs.

The number of the Kysilka (and Kyselka) families in the USA is between 30 - 40

Marcella L. Kysilka, is  professor of the University of Florida in Orlando, James Kysilka of Arkansasu was an expert in sugar industry, Will Kyselka lives in Hawaii and wrotes non-fiction books on Oceania and maritime navigation.

Jo Kysilka is famous Austrian orchestra conductor and Waltraud Kysilka teaches at the Wiener Universitaet..

Josef Kysilka of N.S.W. is Australian champion  in scuba diving.

I would be pleased, if our relatives from all over the world  kept  us informed of their existence.

Karel Kysilka:   [email protected]