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An excerpt from www.HouseOfNames.com archives copyright © 2000 - 2012

Where did the German Dreyfuss family come from? What is the German Dreyfuss family crest and coat of arms? When did the Dreyfuss family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Dreyfuss family history?

The history of the Dreyfuss family name begins in the German province of Bavaria. Dreyfuss is a nickname surname, a class of German names derived from eke-names, or added names, that described people by a personal characteristic or other attribute. Dreyfuss is a name for a man who had to use a crutch. The surname, which was originally derived from the German word drivuoss, which means a tripod or a cooking pot with three legs, was also applied to a person who "stands for" everything or was tolerant. Dreyfuss is also a Jewish local surname that was originally derived from the town of Trier on the Moselle, known in French as Treves. Both the French and the German name come from the Latin Augusta Treverorum, or the City of Augustus among the Treveri. In Bavaria, the Dreyfuss family was a powerful and prestigious landholder family. In the Middle Ages, when Bavaria was characterized by feudalism, knighthood, and heroic battles, the Dreyfuss family resided on a feudal estate and enjoyed the splendors of the feudal courts. Moreover, the family played an instrumental role in the development of Bavarian political and economic affairs.

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In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Dreyfuss include Dreyfuss, Dreyfus, Dreifuss, Drayfuss, Dreifus, Dreyfous, Driefus, Drifuss, Dryfuss and many more.

First found in Augsburg, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.


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This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dreyfuss research. Another 153 words(11 lines of text) covering the years 1859 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Dreyfuss History in all our PDF Extended History products.

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Another 40 words(3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dreyfuss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products.

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The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Dreyfuss Settlers in the United States in the 19th Century


  • Emanuel Dreyfuss, who landed in Mississippi in 1845
  • Charles Dreyfuss, aged 28, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1895
  • Bern. Dreyfuss, aged 46, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1896
  • Carrie Dreyfuss, aged 32, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1896

Dreyfuss Settlers in the United States in the 20th Century


  • Aline Dreyfuss, aged 16, who arrived at Ellis Island from Uffherin, in 1903
  • A. Dreyfuss, aged 48, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1905
  • Benjamin Dreyfuss, aged 10, who arrived at Ellis Island from Bresl Lilowk, Grodno, in 1907
  • Else Dreyfuss, aged 20, who arrived at Ellis Island, in 1907
  • Ester Dreyfuss, aged 13, who arrived at Ellis Island from Brest Litosk, Russia, in 1907


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  • Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (b. 1947), Oscar-winning American actor, starring in such feature films as "American Graffitti" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
  • Henry Dreyfuss (1903-1972), American designer
  • Barney Dreyfuss (1865-1932), baseball entrepreneur, co-founder of the World Series


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  1. Hildenbrand, A.M. Wappenfibel. Handbuch der Heraldik. Neustadt an der Aisch: 1970. Print.
  2. Neubecker, Ottfried. Wappen-Bilder-Lexikon der bürgerlichen Geschlechter Deutschlands, Oesterreichs und der Schweiz. Battenberg, München: 1985. Print.
  3. Tarneller, Josef. Zur Namenkunde Tirolen Familiennamen. Bozen: Buchhandlung, 1923. Print.
  4. Matthews, John. Matthews' American Armoury and Blue Book. London: John Matthews, 1911. Print.
  5. Colletta, John P. They Came In Ships. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1993. Print.
  6. Bentley, Elizabeth P. Passenger Arrivals at the Port of New York 1820-1829. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1999. Print.
  7. Gritzner, M. Handbuch der heraldischen Terminologie in zwölf Zungen. Nürnberg: 1890. Print.
  8. Robb H. Amanda and Andrew Chesler. Encyclopedia of American Family Names. New York: Haper Collins, 1995. Print. (ISBN 0-06-270075-8).
  9. Weis, Frederick Lewis, Walter Lee Sheppard and David Faris. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 7th Edition. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0806313676).
  10. Bahlow, Hans. Abhandlungen zur Namenforschung und Buchgeschichte. 1980. Print. (ISBN 978-3768690522).
  11. ...

The Dreyfuss Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Dreyfuss Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.

This page was last modified on 11 December 2011 at 12:56.

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