Laufer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

The Laufer name is generally thought to have evolved from a place name to a surname. There was a Lauffen in Wurtemberg, as well as places called Laufen and Lauf in other parts of the Holy Roman Empire. Versions of the name that evolve from the word "läufer," which meant "runner," are thought to have originally been an occupational name for a messenger. There is also a Jewish Ashkenazic name Laufer.

Early Origins of the Laufer family

The surname Laufer was first found in Wurtemberg, and later in Switzerland, where the Lauffer spelling was most common.

Early History of the Laufer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Laufer research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Laufer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laufer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lorfing, Laurfing, Lauerfingen, Leurvin, Laufer, Lauffer, Lauffen, Leuvelin, Leuven, Leirven and many more.

Early Notables of the Laufer family

More information is included under the topic Early Laufer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Laufer Ranking

In the United States, the name Laufer is the 18,134^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Laufer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Laufer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mathias Laufer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 2

Laufer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Laufer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1837 2
Jacob Laufer, aged 20, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
John Laufer, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1856 2
Joh Adam Laufer, who landed in America in 1859 2
Jakob Laufer, who arrived in Kentucky in 1883 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Laufer (post 1700) +

Walter Laufer (1906-1984), American gold and silver medalist swimmer at the 1928 Summer Olympics, inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame as an "Honor Swimmer" in 1973
Tiffany Ann Laufer, American film director, screenwriter, children's author and illustrator, known for her work on Jenny's Wedding (2015), If You Listen... (2011) and The Bronze (2015)
Peter Laufer, American journalist, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker, James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication
Henry B. Laufer, American mathematician, former Vice President of Research at Renaissance Technologies, co-founder of the Louis and Beatrice Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology at Stony Brook University
Berthold Laufer (1874-1934), German-born, American anthropologist and historical geographer
William F. Laufer, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1960 3
Marsha Z. Laufer, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2004, 2008 3
Franz-Josef Laufer (b. 1952), retired German football midfielder
Josef Laufer (1940-2024), Czech singer and actor

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html