How to Pronounce Koch (Kotch, Kosh or Coke?)

So… how do you pronounce “Koch”?

There isn’t one single correct pronunciation of “Koch.” It varies by country and family.

So if you’ve ever paused before saying this 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”, “Kock”, “Kotch”, “Coach”… even the very minimalist “Co”.

In the US, “Coke” is common (as in Koch Industries and the Koch brothers - that’s how they pronounce it). Others go for “Cook”. Former NYC mayor Ed Koch went with “Kotch”. 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. He never tried to Anglicise the name, so in my family, we’ve stuck with the original Austrian/German pronunciation.

It’s pronounced like this:

👉 A bit like the Scottish word “loch” (as in Loch Ness), with a guttural “ch” at the end.

To get that guttural “ch” sound made in the back of the throat, think of the German words “Bach” (as in the composer) and “achtung”.

If you want the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) version then it’s: /kɔx/

And in the kind of written pronunciation guidance sometimes used by broadcasters, you might see it written as: Kokh. (If you’re interested to learn more about this, check out this BBC pronunciation guide).

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

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.

If you’ve landed on this page because you know somebody else with this surname, the only reliable answer is that you should ask how they say it - pronunciations vary widely even within the same family.