Surname Kauffert - Meaning and Origin
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Kauffert: What does the surname Kauffert mean?
The surname Kauffert is of German origin, and means "merchant" or "tradesman". It is a name from medieval times when people performed trades or owned stores to provide goods or services for others. The Kaufferts were merchants and they sold a variety of items such as food, clothing, textiles, weapons, and often worked in markets and fairs.
The word kauffert is derived from the Middle High German "kauffman" meaning merchant. The name was often changed in different areas based on various dialects over the centuries, and due to migration, spread to other countries by the 16th century. Some variations of this name can be found throughout Europe, including Schlauffert, Kauffart, Couffert, and Kaufman.
The Kaufferts were usually respected members of their communities, and often held positions of power and influence. They had close ties to various trades and professions, and along with their families, helped shape the economy of the regions in which they lived. Today the name is still found among those of German ancestry, and many well-known figures have been born with it.
Order DNA origin analysisKauffert: Where does the name Kauffert come from?
The last name Kauffert is a German surname derived from the word “kauf,” meaning “purchase.” Today, the surname is most commonly found in the United States, especially in Pennsylvania. It likely spread to the state through the 18th-century migration of German immigrants.
In the United States, the largest concentration of Kaufferts is in Pennsylvania, making up as much as 70% of all people with the surname. Other significant populations are found in other Midwestern states, such as Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
Outside the United States, the surname is also found in Germany, especially in the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, and Rhineland-Palatinate. A lesser presence is found in other European countries, such as the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK.
It is likely that many individuals with the surname have roots in the Palatinate region of Germany, where the surname first appeared in the early 19th century. The surname is also found in the diaspora of Mennonite immigrants from Germany to Prussia at this time.
Worldwide, thousands of people today share the last name Kauffert, a testament to the power of migration and the closeness of Germanic cultures.
Variations of the surname Kauffert
The variants, spellings, surnames, and denominations of Kauffert are Käufer, Kaufer, Kauffer, Kauffert, Kauffman, Kauffmann, Kaufmann, Koffert, Koffer, and Kophert.
The Kauffert surname is of Germanic, Dutch, and Jewish origins. It is a derivation from the Middle High German “koufer” – a common Medieval German profession of peddling goods. It can be translated as “buyer” and “trader.” As a result, it is likely that many of those bearing this surname were expected to perform those tasks or at least were from a family who once did.
The name may have been brought to the U.S. from various parts of Germany and the Low Countries, including Amsterdam. It is also possible that it was among some of the Ashkenazim Jews who emigrated from East-Central and Eastern Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Today, the surname is fairly widespread in the United States. It is most numerous in German-speaking communities in states such as Pennsylvania and Texas. It is also noted in other American states, such as California, Maryland, Illinois, and Ohio.
In continental Europe, it is most common in Germany, but it is still seen in the Low Countries, especially the Netherlands. Outside Europe, it is also found in the former British colonies of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Famous people with the name Kauffert
- Albert Kauffert: a politician from Wisconsin who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate in the 1950s.
- Dorothea Kauffert: a German chemist who was a professor at the University of Munich.
- Frank Kauffert: a Canadian hockey player from the early 20th century who played in the Western Canada Hockey League.
- Gerhard Kauffert: a German-American musicologist who wrote extensively on Bach and his contemporaries.
- Hans Kauffert: a Swiss-born mountain climber who made several noteworthy ascents in the Alps.
- John Kauffert: a major general in the United States Air Force who served in the Vietnam War.
- Raymond M. Kauffert: a United States Army Air Corps pilot who was shot down in the Battle of the Bulge.
- Steve Kauffert: a former police chief of Providence, Rhode Island, and the first American police chief to wear a bulletproof vest.
- Walter Kauffert: an Oregon State Legislator who served in the Oregon House of Representatives in the 1950s.
- William Kauffert: a British-born Canadian businessman and investor who founded the Canadian department store chain Eatons.