> Perhaps it's because I'm not German speaking myself, but I'm having trouble > understanding the leap from Jacob/Yaakov to Kusch. What am I missing ??? ...three other ideas for KUSCH 1. Still today the word KUSCH is used in Germany. For example as an order for a dog to lay down and to be quiet. 2. KUSCHELN in German means: being tender, nestling up 3.But a KUSCHEL (and also KUSSEL) is something like a little, not well grown tree. You have to search the origin for KUSCHEL in the baltic area - for example in Lithunian it means something like "weak" or "wretched". But I prefer a real french (huguenot?) origin (couche!)... I don't think, that KUES and KUSCH are related!!! Both appear as names in Germany. But: The -UE- combination in KUES is not very common for a word or name with German origin. As an English/American you would pronounce it like -OU-. Same is with the surname BUES, which is also found in Germany, but this either does not seem to me to have a German origin. (thanks again Ingolf and Barbara!) Regards, Guido