Hoffner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

The name Hoffner is a proud symbol of ancient Jewish culture. Before the late Middle Ages, people were known only by a single name. However, as the population increased and travelers set out on their journeys, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves. Jewish hereditary surnames were adopted from a variety of different sources. The surname Hoffner is of two possible derivations. In the first case, it is an occupational surname, which derives from the German word hof, which means settlement, or farm. Many Jews in the Russian Empire held such managerial positions on non-Jewish estates. The other meaning of the surname comes from the Yiddish word hofn, which means hope. As such, it was taken as a symbol, and was given to someone who had hope for the future.

Hoffner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoffner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jeuly Mayer Hoffner, who landed in New York in 1709 1
Hans Georg Hoffner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 1
Jacob Hoffner, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 1
Johan Michel Hoffner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 1
Matheis Hoffner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoffner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjn. Hoffner, who settled in Baltimore in 1832
Hilarius Hoffner, aged 13, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 1
Jacques Hoffner, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 1
Jean Chretien Hoffner, aged 5, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 1
Jean Jacques Hoffner, aged 38, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hoffner migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoffner Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Michael Hoffner, who landed in Canada in 1841

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoffner (post 1700) +

Sebastian Fabian "Buckshot" Hoffner (1924-2015), American politician, Member of the North Dakota House of Representatives
Joseph Cardinal Höffner (1906-1987), German prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Cologne (1969-1987)

Citations +

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)