Surname Pfaff - Meaning and Origin
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read morePfaff: What does the surname Pfaff mean?
The last name Pfaff is a German surname that dates from the Middle Ages. The original meaning of the name was a person who had either worked as a pastry maker (pfafer) or as a cloth weaver (pfaefer). During the Middle Ages in Europe, these two crafts were very important ways of earning a living.
The name Pfaff eventually evolved from its original meaning to become a name for someone who was a "plebian of the lower classes". This denotes a person who had levels of wealth and status that were lower than some of the other social classes in Medieval Europe.
The Pfaff surname is still present today mainly in Germany and Austria, but has spread to various parts of the world. It is thought to have been adopted by immigrants who left Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.
In modern times the surname is still widely used throughout Europe and elsewhere. It carries no particular connotations other than being of German descent, though one of the common spellings of the name is also used as a nickname for someone who is small and feisty.
Order DNA origin analysisPfaff: Where does the name Pfaff come from?
The last name Pfaff is common mainly in Germany today, particularly in the south and west of the country. In the 1800s, however, when surname research was first beginning to be conducted, this name was more widespread. The Pfaff family, originally from Franconia near Nuremberg in Bavaria, had spread to other parts of Germany – including Prussia, Bohemia, and East and West Pomerania – by the late 17th century. In the centuries that followed, Pfaffs from these regions immigrated to other European countries as well as the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
In Germany today, the surname Pfaff is most common in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Here the name is particularly concentrated around the cities of Würzburg and Ulm. Pfaff can also be found in Berlin, Hamburg, Nuremberg, and other German cities, often clustered around the country’s religious communities. In terms of global frequency, Pfaff is currently the 1,921st most common surname worldwide, and the 153rd most popular name in Germany.
Variations of the surname Pfaff
Pfaff is a German surname which is commonly known to originate from the medieval German term for a priest or chaplain. This surname is extremely common and has quite a few variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin.
Variants of Pfaff include Pfaeff, Pfaef, Pfeff, Pfeffel, Spfaff, and Spfaffel. Spellings of Pfaff which can be found in some documents include Pfaef, Pfäf, Pfäff, Pfäfel, Pffaff, Pfef, and Pfefel.
Surnames of the same origin as Pfaff include Pfatteicher, Pfäfflin, Pfaffl, Pfeifenroth, Pfefferlein, Pfeifer, Pfaifer, Fafel, Faffeler, Fäffeler, Feffel, Pfaffinger, Pfaffmann, Pfauf and Pauff.
Some of the surnames may have their own variants or spellings as well. For example, Fäffeler is sometimes spelled as Faffeler.
Pfaff is an extremely common surname, and given the range of its variants and similar surnames, many people are likely to have it as their last name without even knowing it!
Famous people with the name Pfaff
- Karl Pfaff (1828-1904) was a German botanist and plant anatomist who was one of the founding fathers of modern plant anatomy.
- Denis Pfaff, (born in 1950) is a French-American neurobiologist, whose work has been mainly in molecular neurobiology and scientific philosophy.
- Karl Pfaff (1845-1921) was a German surgeon and advocate of social reform.
- Caroll Pfaff (1926-2011) was an American actress who appeared in many American television shows, such as the soap opera As The World Turns.
- Jeff Pfaff (born in 1965) is a three-time world champion snowboarder and the co-founder of the World Cup Snowboard Association.
- Kurt Pfaff (1954-1994) was an American professional wrestler, known for his brief career in the World Wrestling Federation as "the Red Rooster".
- Mike Pfaff (born in 1974) is a retired German footballer who played for many clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen.
- Paul Pfaff (1886-1982) was a German-American aeronaut who was the first to fly a manned aircraft in the United States.
- Robert Pfaff (born in 1941) is an American playwright and an early exponent of the Theater of the Absurd.
- Steve Pfaff (born in 1954) is an American lawyer and former Illinois Secretary of State.