Heafner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Heafner surname comes from the Middle High German words "hafner," or "hafen," meaning "pot," or "dish." As such, Heafner was originally an occupational name for a potter.

Early Origins of the Heafner family

The surname Heafner 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 Heafner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heafner 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 Heafner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heafner Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Haffner, Hafner, Haafner, Hafener, Haffener, Haeffner, Heffner, Haefner, Hefner, Haefeli (Swiss) and many more.

Early Notables of the Heafner family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Heafner 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...
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heafner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heafner migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Heafner Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Louis Heafner, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1884 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Heafner (post 1700) +

Vance Heafner (1954-2012), American PGA professional golfer

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)