Surname Aloff - Meaning and Origin

Aloff: What does the surname Aloff mean?

The last name Aloff is often associated with German-Jewish roots. The name itself is derived from "Al" or "ein", meaning "one" and "hof," meaning "house," creating a possible meaning of “one house.” In German, the name is often spelled “Alhof," though the spelling was altered upon entering the United States.

The Aloff name can be traced back to the 12th century, where it was common among people of the Jewish diaspora in Central and Eastern Europe. As Jews moved out of Poland and Germany and into the United States, the Aloff name followed them and spread across the country.

The Aloff family held many occupations, such as farmers, merchants, and rabbis. The family may have gotten its start with a rabbi named Adolf, who lived in Bamberg, Germany in 1726. He was the great-grandfather of an Aloff family patriarch known as Maier, who was born in Bavaria in 1803.

Today, there are Aloffs of all backgrounds and professions, including prominent leaders in business, science, and the arts. While the name is no longer closely associated with a particular religion, the family members still hold onto their Jewish heritage. The Aloffs remain connected by their shared history and long legacy of success and achievement.

Aloff: Where does the name Aloff come from?

The last name Aloff is common among Jewish people, particularly those of Ashkenazi descent. This last name is most common today in a few places around the world, such as in parts of Europe, Russia, Canada, the United States, and Israel.

In Europe, Aloff is a particularly common last name in Germany, especially among people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The surname is more commonly spelled Alof or Aloff in Germany, and can be found in cities such as Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg. Further east, Aloff is a common last name in countries such as Ukraine and Belarus.

In the United States, the last name Aloff is found among people of Eastern European Jewish heritage, particularly in New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Many of the people with this last name in the United States are the descendants of immigrants who arrived from Europe or Russia during the late 1800s or early 1900s.

Canada also has a significant population of Aloffs, most of whom hail from eastern Ukrainian descent. These people are mainly concentrated in major cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg.

Israel is also home to a large population of Aloffs, especially in Jerusalem. Many of the people with this last name in Israel are descendants of Eastern European Jewish immigrants who arrived in the early 1900s.

Given its prevalence among people of Eastern European Jewish descent, it is safe to say that the last name Aloff is very common today in many parts of the world.

Variations of the surname Aloff

The surname Aloff, also spelled Alof or Alouf, is a toponymic Jewish surname of potentially Persian, Turkish, or German origin. It is derived from a number of other place-names.

Aloff may be derived from the German name "Aloeff", which was derived from the Germanic name for an elm, Aloeff. Other spellings include Aloef, Aloefs, Alofs, Aloufs.

In its Germanic form, Aloff is found in the records of Flanders, Brabant, and the Dutch provinces of Germany during the Middle Ages. Aloffs are also mentioned in old texts as dwelling in the Rhineland, Bavaria, and Thuringia. The Aloffs may also have had a Jewish origin and descended from the Chasidic dynasty, which gave its name to many Jewish communities in Europe.

Variants may have been created as early as the 17th and 18th centuries, before surnames became compulsory in Europe. Variations of the surname may include Aloffe, Aloffman, Alofsohn, Alfson, Alvend, and Elfson.

In America, various immigrants carrying the surname Aloff arrived during the 19th and 20th centuries. Records of their entry show them using many of the same spelling variations of Aloff, as well as Eloff and Eloffe.

An additional form of the name is Ales, which is found in records of Jewish immigrants from Russia. It is a Russian transliteration of Alof.

The surname may also have been altered in accordance with local language and dialect usage in other parts of the world, such as in France (Alfred, Alfrou, Allf), England (Aliff, Auliff, Alf), and Scotland (Alies, Alis, Ales).

In short, Aloff is a strongly toponymic name and many different variations and spellings have been found among different populations. Overall, Aloff is a surname composed of many potential Germanic, Persian, Turkish and Jewish roots.

Famous people with the name Aloff

• William Aloff: an American composer, conductor, and biographer of classical music composers.
• Dorothy Aloff: an American children's book author.
• Clarence Aloff: a German composer.
• Brian Aloff: an American professional dancer, choreographer, and television and theatre performer.
• Wendy Aloff: an American artist.
• Mary Joyce Aloff: an American author, historian, exhibitions coordinator, and visual artist.
• Deborah J. Aloff: an American nurse, filmmaker, and health-care writer and advocate.
• Lambert Aloff: an American Bluegrass musician and singer.
• Barbara Aloff: an American sculptor and visual artist.
• Joel Aloff: an American stage actor and playwright.

Other surnames

AlofAlofs