Surname Doerrhoefer - Meaning and Origin
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Doerrhoefer: What does the surname Doerrhoefer mean?
The surname Doerrhoefer is an old German name that originates from Bavaria. The literal translation of Doerrhoefer is "door handle maker." This name likely originated from commoners who specialized in making certain metal objects. The name is thought to have first appeared in old records in the late 13th century. It was a unique name that distinguished a family from the other names in the area.
In Germany, the name Doerrhoefer is most commonly found in the region of Franconia. It is an interesting name in that it is one of the few German surnames that denote a specific trade or craft. This, combined with its geographical focus, gives it a special distinction.
The Doerrhoefer surname has carried down through the generations, and there are now many people who are proud to bear this distinguished name. This name is a reminder of the family’s mercantile background and of the artisans who developed their skills and specialized in their trade over the years. Whether some of the modern Doerrhoefers still practice the craft of making door handles is unknown, but the legacy and story of the Doerrhoefer family remain.
Order DNA origin analysisDoerrhoefer: Where does the name Doerrhoefer come from?
The last name Doerrhoefer is quite uncommon today, mainly being found in Europe. Specifically, it is most commonly seen in German-speaking countries such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is also found in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania.
One can trace the origins of the name back to the 15th century in Germany. The name was likely bestowed upon the descendants of a medieval knight or nobleman named Doerr. The surname has a very Germanic look to it, as it is composed of the old German first name “Doerr” – meaning “brave” or “heroic” – and the suffix “-hoefer”, which is a learning derived from “hof” meaning “court being” or “peasant”.
Today, the surname is found mostly in Bavaria, an area in the south of Germany, where many people with the surname Doerrhoefer still live. The nearest large city to Bavaria is Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria.
The distribution of the name is quite scattered, with Doerrhoefers being found all over Europe, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, and Romania. It is likely that the name was spread around Europe through migration and intermarriage between different ethnic groups. So, while there is no central area of the world where the name is most commonly found, it is nonetheless an interesting part of global history.
Variations of the surname Doerrhoefer
The surname Doerrhoefer is of German origin, and there are many variants and spellings of this name. Doerrhaeffer, Doerfer, Doerrhofer, Dörrhaeffer and Dörfer are all variants of the same given name. The surname can be found in various spelling variations, including Dürrhoefer, Dürrhaeffer, Doerfer, Dörrhofer, Dürrhaeffer, Durrhoefer, Dürrhof, Dörhoff, Dörfer and Dürrhauff.
The original spelling of Doerrhoefer (or one of its many variants) was Dürrhoefer, which means “thresher” in German. The literal translation of the surname is “one who threshes with a machine” – a reference to the old method of separating grain from chaff (husks). As such, it is likely that the family originates from an agricultural background.
The name Doerrhoefer is also often found in the spelling variations of Doerrhof, Doerrhaeffer, Dörrhofer, Dürrhaeffer, Durrhoefer, Dürrhauff and Dörhoff. In some cases, the last part of the name is also changed to -fer, -hoff or -haeffer.
In addition to the variants of Doerrhoefer, the surname has many similar-sounding names, including Dörr, Dörrhaeusler, Dörrhoff and Dörrmann. These surnames, however, are unrelated to Doerrhoefer and most likely have a different origin.
Famous people with the name Doerrhoefer
- Samuel P. Doerrhoefer (1899–1964), American Major League Baseball player
- William A. Doerrhoefer (1919-2007), U.S. Marine Corps officer
- Thomas Doerrhoefer (1917–1945), German Luftwaffe fighter ace in World War II
- Paul Doerrhoefer (1853-1937), German-American politician
- Christian Doerrhoefer (1888-1965), German physicist
- Edwin Doerrhoefer (1917-1955), American football player in the National Football League
- Mark Doerrhoefer (born 1981), American professional baseball utility player
- Emre Doerrhoefer (born 1994), Turkish footballer
- Albert Dörrhöfer (1886–1971), German puppet creator