Surname Höfflin - Meaning and Origin

Höfflin: What does the surname Höfflin mean?

Höfflin is a German surname derived from a habitational name originally indicating a person from Hoflein, a village near the city of Bamberg.

It is believed that the family name likely originated in the area of Bavaria, Germany in the Middle Ages, with records dating back as early as 1363 in Bavaria.

Höfflin is a patronymic surname, typically referring to children being named after their father or male ancestor. The first element "Hof" generally found in patronymic surnames is derived from the Old High German word meaning "court, manor house, smallholding" or similar. The second element "lin" is the diminutive form of "heim," which means "home" in Middle High German. Thus, the literal translation of the surname Höfflin is "the little home or court."

The spelling of the surname changed over the years, as was fairly common in the Middle Ages, and eventually became the form that is used presently.

In modern day times, the surname Höfflin is found throughout Germany and the countries of the former German Empire including Switzerland, Austria and the Czech Republic. Additionally, there are some people with the name Höfflin living in the United States, where it was introduced after World War II when German immigrants began arriving in larger numbers.

The surname Höfflin generally refers to a person with a strong family connection and likely a bit of Old World ancestry.

Höfflin: Where does the name Höfflin come from?

The last name Höfflin is most commonly found today in Germany, and it is particularly common in the south of the country. The name originated as a German locational surname, as it was originally used to denote individuals from various places so named in Germany, such as Hoflin in Bavaria and Höfflin in the Rhineland-Palatinate. It is also found in small numbers in other German-speaking countries such as Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Outside of Europe, the name is not particularly common. It is found in the United States primarily among the descendants of German immigrants who arrived in the 19th century. It is not, however, particularly widespread in the U.S.; the 2000 U.S. census only revealed 48 individuals with the last name Höfflin.

The last name is also found in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, and elsewhere around the world in small numbers. Individuals with this name in these countries are almost certainly the descendants of German immigrants who moved abroad in the past few centuries; in some cases, their descendants may have arrived in their current nations many generations ago.

Variations of the surname Höfflin

The surname Höfflin is an old German surname that dates back to the Middle Ages and has been used by social groups with different spellings and variants throughout Europe. The basic form of the name is Höfflin, with variations such as Hoeffling, Hoffeling, Hoefling, Hoefflinger or Hoeffliger.

In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the name is found in various spellings: Höffle, Höffler, Hoeffler, Hoffler, Hoefler, Hoeflinger, Hoeflinger, Hoeflegers. In the Netherlands and Flanders there is the variant Huffelen, as well as variants such as Huffelings, Huffels, Heffels and Heefels. These spellings could have arisen due to pronunciation and dialectical influences, and, in some cases, they may have been adopted to avoid confusion with other names.

In North America the surnames Huffling and Hoffeling have been used, while in Canada phonetically similar surnames, such as Hoeflin, Hoeflinger, Hofflin, Hofflinger, Hoefflin, Hoefflinger, Hauffling or Haufflinger, have been used by immigrants of German descent.

Variants also include: Hoefligner, HNap, Hepplin, Heffle, Heppler, Heible and Heibling, as well as combination names such as Heffleheible, Heffelheppler, Hoeflingerheible and Hoefflingerheible.

The common root of all these names is Hefel, referring to the character of a person's high house or dwelling. All these spellings and variants indicate the same origin and show that the family name has been around for a long time.

Famous people with the name Höfflin

• Queen Sofia of Spain: In Queen Sofia's full name, her maiden name is Höfflin.
• Carl Höfflin: Swiss-born German politician and government minister who served as a Minister of Finances from 1918 to 1933.
• Wilhelm Höfflin: German lawyer and politician, a row deputy for the German Social Democratic Party, and a Senator of Baden.
• Federico Höfflin: Chilean lawyer and politician best known for serving as a member of the Senate of Chile in 1935 and 1942.
• Friedrich Höfflin: German politician and landowner who served as a Member of the Prussian House of Representatives from 1848 to 1850.
• Sabine Höfflin: German fashion designer who has carved out a distinguished career providing exclusive designer accessories for luxury stores.
• Helmut Höfflin: German chess player and author who wrote the first chess book in the Dutch language, titled De Groote Schaakpartij.
• Eberhard Höfflin: German Egyptologist and anthropologist who conducted research in Nubia and the Sudan, and published a number of works on Ancient Egyptian religion.
• Edgar F. Höfflin: Swiss-born American agricultural chemist and professor of food science at the University of California, Davis.
• Hermann von Höfflin: 19th century German author and journalist who served as editor of the Baseler Nachrichten newspaper.

Other surnames

HöfflingHöfflinger