Peiffer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Medieval Austria is the noble birthplace of the family name Peiffer. Austria, which was originally home to a Celtic people, was conquered by the Roman Empire in about 15 BC. Following the fall of Rome, Austria was repeatedly invaded by barbarian tribes, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Huns, who swept in from the east. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the Alemanni, Avars and Slavs settled Austria. The Avars were defeated in 785 by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, who set up the East Mark, which later became known as the Österreich. Austria was ruled by the Babenburger dynasty until 1278, when they were succeeded by the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria until the 20th century.

Early Origins of the Peiffer family

The surname Peiffer was first found in Austria, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Chronicles first mention Nickel Pfyfer of Liegnitz in 1372, and Hailman der Pfiffer in 1371.

Early History of the Peiffer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peiffer research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1566, 1590, 1713, 1721, 1797 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Peiffer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peiffer Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Peiffer include Pfeiffer, Pfeifer, Pfeyffer, Pfeyfer and many more.

Early Notables of the Peiffer family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Peiffer were Johann Babtist Pfeiffer (around 1721), who was administrator for the mines and forges of Achrain, and was knighted in 1721. Ida Laura Pfeiffer (1797-1858) was...
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peiffer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peiffer Ranking

In the United States, the name Peiffer is the 9,655^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Peiffer is ranked the 4,239^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Peiffer migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Peiffer were

Peiffer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Peiffer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1747 3
Johannes Philip Peiffer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 3
Johannes Henrich Peiffer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 3
Joh Jacob Peiffer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1763 3

Peiffer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Simon Peiffer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Peiffer (post 1700) +

Daniel William Peiffer (b. 1951), former American NFL football center
Alexandra Carlisle Peiffer, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Massachusetts, 1920 4
Arnd Peiffer (b. 1987), German two-time gold, silver and five-time bronze medalist biathlete
Auguste Joseph Peiffer (1832-1886), French sculptor
Jérémie Peiffer (b. 1980), Luxembourg professional footballer
Bernard Peiffer (1922-1976), French jazz pianist, composer, and teacher, nicknamed "Le Most"

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html