Surname: Mitkokher

Question:
My surname is "Mitkokher". From my experience this is not a very common Jewish surname. I do know that my fanily came from somewhere in the Russian Empire. Would you be able to tell me what my surname means?

Answer:
According to Alexander Beider in his work A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from the Russian Empire [Teaneck, NJ : Avotaynu, 1993 - p.408, column 2] the surname "Mitkokher" is derived from an occupation. The name is from the Yiddish "mit kukher" and means "with cook" i.e. cook assistant. Beider also indicates that he found evidence for this surname being used in the Novograd district (part of the Volhynia guberniya in what is today the Ukraine) during the early 20th century.