Schiff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Medieval Austria is the ancient homeland of the Schiff family. 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 Schiff family

The surname Schiff 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 Austrian affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Schiff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schiff research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1708, 1847 and 1920 are included under the topic Early Schiff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schiff Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Schiff include Schiff, Schiffner, Schifer, Schiffs, Schiffe and many more.

Early Notables of the Schiff family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Schiff were

Jacob Henry Schiff (1847-1920), born in Frankfurt, who became a wealthy American financier and philanthropist and played a role in the expansion of the American railway network

Schiff Ranking

In the United States, the name Schiff is the 7,576^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Schiff 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 Schiff were

Schiff Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hans Schiff, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 2
Michael Schiff, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1764 2
George Schiff, who settled in Philadelphia in 1765
Georg Schiff, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 2

Schiff Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Senf Mois Schiff, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 2
Joseph Schiff, who arrived in New York, NY in 1846 2
Bertha Schiff, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
Gerson Schiff, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 2
Abraham Schiff, who landed in Ohio in 1869 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Schiff Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ben H Schiff, who arrived in Arkansas in 1902 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Schiff (post 1700) +

Irwin Allan Schiff (1928-2015), American tax protester, father of investor and former United States Senate candidate Peter Schiff
Stephen Schiff, American screenwriter and journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist
John Mortimer Schiff (1904-1987), American banker and President of the Boy Scouts of America (1951-1956)
Mortimer Loeb Schiff (1877-1931), American banker, father of John Mortimer Schiff and Dorothy Schiff
Dorothy Schiff (1903-1989), American businesswoman, owner and later publisher of the New York Post
Steven Harvey Schiff (1947-1998), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Mexico (1989-1998)
Leonard Isaac Schiff (1915-1971), American physicist who entered Ohio State University at age 14, best known for his book Quantum Mechanics
Adam Bennett Schiff (b. 1960), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (2003-2013)
Richard Schiff (b. 1955), American Emmy Award winning actor, best known for his role as Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing
Jacob Henry Schiff (1847-1920), American banker, businessman, and philanthropist
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)