Hafeli History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsThe Hafeli surname comes from the Middle High German words "hafner," or "hafen," meaning "pot," or "dish." As such, Hafeli was originally an occupational name for a potter. Early Origins of the Hafeli familyThe surname Hafeli was first found in Austria and southern Bavaria, where the family made a considerable contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early modern Europe. The family became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses. These played important roles in local political conflicts, in which each group sought power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Chronicles first mention Hugo Hafinare of Constance in the year 1158, Uli Hafner (Haefeli) of the Aargau region in 1490, and Hueglin Haffner of Kirchheim in 1406. Chronicles also mention an ancient branch of the family whose members were knights of the Kingdom of Styria from 1310 to 1478. Early History of the Hafeli familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hafeli research. Another 231 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1629, 1630, 1631, 1640, 1702, 1735, 1741, 1759, 1764, 1776, 1782, 1833 and 1861 are included under the topic Early Hafeli History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Hafeli Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Haffner, Hafner, Haafner, Hafener, Haffener, Haeffner, Heffner, Haefner, Hefner, Haefeli (Swiss) and many more. Early Notables of the Hafeli familyDuring this period prominent bearers of the name Hafeli were Enrico Haffner (1640-1702), an Italian painter of quadratura during the Baroque period, his father was from Switzerland. Phillip Hafner (1735-1764), was an Austrian lawyer who later became a dramatist. His numerous plays introduced good-humored farce to Viennese comedy and their influence was felt well into the next century. Otto Titan von Hefner, the son of Georg von Hefner, became famous as an authority on heraldry and related studies. In... Migration of the Hafeli familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Nickel Heffner, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738. Hans Jacob Haffner came to Philadelphia in 1743; while Friedrich Hafner arrived in 1748. Wolfgang Hefner landed in Philadelphia in 1752.
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