From Möckli to Moeckly

The original family name of Möckli was Americanized to Moeckly at some point after the arrival of Konrad and Johannes to America in 1852. A quick check of the Archives in the Iowa Genealogical Society indicate the confusion over the spelling of the name. Many variations exist, such as Mocklin and others. The variations on spelling are as numerous as the pronunciation of the name. While Moeckly is a direct translation of Möckli, the name is still difficult for most American’s to pronounce. Moklie, Macklie, Meeklie Mucklie and McClee are just a few that I have endured during my lifetime. One thing you can be sure of is that everyone who has this name is quite proud of it and the heritage it signifies. The name Möckli, according to Hans Keller in his ‘Stammtafeln’ of the Möcklis from Marthalen prepared in 1928, can be found in records in the Kloister at Rheinau dating from about 1204. Many entries in church and land records list Möckli families from that time forward. The name is as old or older than the records of the village of Marthalen.