Surname Pronunciation Guide

Inevitably, people ask me how to pronounce “Kschischang.” Just say: “shish-ang”. If you are adventurous, throw in the “K” (like in the German pronunciation of “knee”): “kshish-ang” (two syllables). The German pronunciation sounds more like “kshee-shung”.

Surname Origin

My surname is Sorbian (or, in German, Sorbisch) in origin. It is derived from the Upper Sorbian "Křižank" or the Lower Sorbian "Kśižank," meaning "Christian" as documented here. I thank onomastic scholar Dr. Christian Zschieschang, whose surname also derives from the same Sorbian root, for his help in confirming this.

Spelling Mnemonics

Finally, it is easy to remember how to spell my name if you notice that the “sch” is repeated. Then the correct spelling is K★I★ANG, where ★=SCH. Or, use the following graph: