Kipnis or Kipniss is a Jewish surname. Dictionary of American Family Names suggests it is a corruption of the Ukrainian nickname "kyrponis, kyrponos" (Кирпоніс, Кирпонос) "flat-nosed", which produced the surname Kirponos. [1]

Notable people with the surname include:

  • Alexander Kipnis (1891–1978), Russian/Ukrainian/American operatic bass
  • Igor Kipnis (1930–2002), German-born American harpsichordist and pianist
  • Jason Kipnis (born 1987), American baseball player (second baseman; Chicago Cubs)
  • Joel Kipnis (aka JK), producer, writer, soul/R&B guitarist, and recording studio owner
  • Jonathan Kipnis, professor of pathology and immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine
  • Laura Kipnis (born 1956), American professor of media studies at Northwestern University
  • Levin Kipnis (1894–1990), Russian/Ukrainian-born Israeli children's author and poet; winner of the Israel Prize
  • Jeff Kipnis (born 1951), American architectural critic, theorist, designer, film-maker, curator, and educator
  • Menachem Kipnis (1878–1942), Polish singer, critic, and photographer
  • Robert Kipniss (born 1931), American painter and printmaker
  • Yigal Kipnis (born 1949), Israeli historian and author

References

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