Topfer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany

Early Origins of the Topfer family

The surname Topfer was first found in Saxony where they were an ancient family "well known in the literature of Germany and France." 1 The family held a family seat at Thuringe in later years. The family became dispersed when they were beset by the religious conflicts of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Under Charles V of France the main branch were described as Lutherans or "tout-perd" which in the Netherlands became Toupard. From this source, "the principal branch went to Guernsey in 1548." 1 Another source follows this timeline but adds "A branch of the family settled in England at Sandwich, Kent, whence another descendant, Thomas Tupper, went to America in 1635, and helped to found the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts in 1637." 2 Yet another source claims a completely different origin of the name. In this case, the name originated at "York in 1365 [when] men were employed in beating and ramming (tupant) the earth and mud, strengthened with straw, with rammers (tuppis) and great hammers. As the rams were called tups, these workmen may well have been named tuppers." 3 The latter source may have some credence as early rolls revealed: Robert Tophird in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327, 3 and Willelmus Tuphird in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 4

Early History of the Topfer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Topfer research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1821, 1887 and 1896 are included under the topic Early Topfer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Topfer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Topper, Toppfer, Tupper, Touper, Toper and others.

Early Notables of the Topfer family

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

Topfer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Topfer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Balthasar Topfer, who landed in Carolina in 1744 5

Topfer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juliane Topfer, who settled in Baltimore in 1832
Friedrich Joachim Topfer, who landed in America in 1854 5
Adam Topfer, who settled in New York in 1858
Adam Topfer, aged 14, who arrived in New York in 1858 5
Anna Topfer, aged 10, who landed in New York, NY in 1876 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Topfer Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: L'espoir est ma force
Motto Translation: Hope is my strength.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)