Pfister History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Pfister surname comes from the Upper German word "pfister," which meant "baker." 1

"Pistor is originally of the monastery, or Court, in contrast to the simple bread bakery, Latin panifex, finally a Baker at all. In Bonn, a pisternen street (now the star of street)" 2

Early Origins of the Pfister family

The surname Pfister was first found in Bavaria and Saxony, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They branched into many houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power including the branch at Grubnitz.

Early History of the Pfister family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pfister research. Another 156 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1272, 1280, 1291, 1376, 1420, 1470, 1523, 1544, 1561, 1699 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Pfister History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pfister Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pfister, Pister, De Pester, Pester, Pistor, Pistorio and many more.

Early Notables of the Pfister family

Prominent among members of the name Pfister in this period include

Albrecht Pfister (c.1420-c...

Pfister Ranking

In the United States, the name Pfister is the 7,462^nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Pfister is ranked the 3,805^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 4

Pfister migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pfister Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Pfister, who settled in Carolina in 1734
Vrena Pfister, who arrived in Carolina in 1734 5
Magdalena Pfister, aged 37, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1735 5
Junghans Pfister, who arrived in Carolina in 1739 5
Hans Jacob Pfister, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pfister Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Pfister, who landed in Ohio in 1829 5
Adolphe Pfister, who was naturalized in San Francisco in 1846
Gustav Pfister, aged 28, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 5
Elisabeth Pfister, aged 28, who landed in New York in 1854 5
Agnes Pfister, aged 54, who landed in New York in 1854 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Pfister (post 1700) +

George Edward Pfister (1918-1997), American Major League Baseball catcher
Walter "Wally" Pfister A.S.C. (b. 1961), American cinematographer
Hank Pfister (b. 1953), American former tennis player
Phil Pfister (b. 1971), American, who won the 2006 Met-Rx World's Strongest Man competition
Sandy Pfister, American Democratic Party politician, Chair of Emmet County Democratic Party, 2003 6
Frank Pfister, American politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives from St. Louis City 1st District, 1920; Candidate for Missouri State Senate 29th District, 1924 6
Betty Pfister, American Republican politician, Member of Michigan Republican State Central Committee, 1969; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1972 6
Adolph Pfister, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wisconsin, 1924 6
Adolph Pfister, American politician, Mayor of San Jose, California, 1870-73 6
Ernst Pfister (1947-2022), German politician, Minister of Economics, Labour and Housing of Baden-Württemberg from 2004 to 2011
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pfister family +

Bismarck

Wilhelm Pfister (1921-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 7

Citations +

Debrabandere, Frans Verklarend woordenboek van de familienamen in België en Noord-Frankrijk Grondig Herziene Uiitgave, 1993. Digital
Linnartz, Dr. Kasper Unsere Familiennamen Hamburg, Hannover: Ferd, Dummlers Verlag, 1958. Digital
"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 2016, March 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details