Schiffer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Medieval Austria is the ancient homeland of the Schiffer 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 Schiffer family

The surname Schiffer 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 Schiffer family

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

Schiffer 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 Schiffer include Schiff, Schiffner, Schifer, Schiffs, Schiffe and many more.

Early Notables of the Schiffer family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Schiffer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schiffer Ranking

In the United States, the name Schiffer is the 11,310^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Schiffer 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 Schiffer or a variant listed above:

Schiffer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Philip Schiffer, who arrived in New York in 1709-10
Philip Schiffer, who landed in New York in 1709-1710 2
Philipp Schiffer, who landed in New York in 1709 2
Paulus Schiffer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 2
Paul and Bernard Schiffer, who settled in Philadelphia in 1738
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Schiffer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

A. Schiffer, who settled in Texas in 1855
Catherina Schiffer, aged 7, who arrived in South Dakota in 1889 2
Christine Schiffer, aged 6, who landed in South Dakota in 1889 2
Jacob Schiffer, who arrived in Arkansas in 1890 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Schiffer (post 1700) +

John C. Schiffer (1945-2014), American politician, Member of the Wyoming Senate (1993-2014)
Craig Schiffer (b. 1956), American businessman, former Chief Executive Officer of the Americas of Dresdner Kleinwort (2003-2006)
Father Hubert Schiffer (1915-1982), German Jesuit, one of eight Jesuits who survived the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and survived the radiation
Eugen Schiffer (1860-1954), German lawyer and politician, Minister of Finance in 1919 and Minister of Justice (1919-1920)
Claudia Schiffer (b. 1970), German model and actress, one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers
Ben Schiffer (b. 1983), Dutch-born television writer and playwright
András Schiffer (b. 1971), Hungarian politician and lawyer, Member of the National Assembly (2010-)
Alfred Schiffer Bloomingdale (1916-1982), American heir to the Bloomingdale's department store fortune, nicknamed the "father of the credit card," grandson of Lyman G. Bloomingdale
Roy Schiffer Pinney (1911-2010), American oldest surviving of the 500 war correspondents to cover the D-Day invasion

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)