Peifer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Medieval Austria is the noble birthplace of the family name Peifer. 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 Peifer family

The surname Peifer 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 Peifer family

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

Peifer Spelling Variations

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 Peifer include Pfeiffer, Pfeifer, Pfeyffer, Pfeyfer and many more.

Early Notables of the Peifer family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Peifer 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 Peifer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peifer migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Peifer or a variant listed above:

Peifer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Willem Peifer, who arrived in New York in 1709 1
Frederick Peifer, who landed in America in 1730 1
Fredrick Peifer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1730 1
Christ Peifer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 1
Wilhelm Peifer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752-1753 1
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Peifer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Werner Peifer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 1
Peter Peifer, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1856 1
Henry Peifer, who landed in Ohio in 1869 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Peifer (post 1700) +

Michael T. "Mike" Peifer (b. 1968), American politician, Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2007-)
Mark Peifer, American biologist specializing in cell adhesion, cytoskeletal regulation, and Wnt signaling in development and cancer, Michael Hooker Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina
Mary T. Peifer, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1932 2
Louis Peifer, American politician, Mayor of Centralia, Illinois, 1935-38 2
Nicolas Peifer (b. 1990), French gold medalist Paralympic tennis player from Strasbourg, France

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html