Kotch, Kosh or Coke? How to pronounce my surname

So… how do you pronounce my surname?

If you’ve ever paused before saying my name out loud, you’re in good company.

“Koch” is one of those surnames that seems to invite confident guesses. I’ve heard most of them at this point:
“Coke”, “Kosh”, “Cock”, “Cotch”, “Coach”… even the very minimalist “Co”.

In the US, “Coke” is common (as in Koch Industries and the Koch brothers). Others go for “Cook”. I’m not saying any of these are wrong, they’re just what happens when a German name travels and settles into different accents.

My grandfather was Austrian and came to the UK from Vienna in the late 1930s. So in my family, we’ve stuck with the original German pronunciation.

It’s pronounced like this:

👉 A bit like “loch”, with a soft “ch” at the end.

If that still feels slightly abstract, this video is the clearest reference point - go straight to the German pronunciation here.

But if you’re introducing me, interviewing me, or just want to get it right first time, that German version above is the one to go for.