About the Kauffman Surname

If your family name is Kauffman, its origin lies with Kaufmann, a German surname. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “Merchant, trader”.

Heraldry and the Kauffman name

A coat of arms belongs to a particular family line rather than to everyone named Kauffman, so the heraldry linked to Kaufmann is a starting point, not an automatic right.

Kauffman and Kaufmann

Records show Kauffman as one of the forms Kaufmann took over time. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard. The same family of names includes Kauffmann, Kaufman and Kofman.

The 2010 US Census counted 22,353 people named Kauffman, ranking it number 1,606 among American surnames. Want more than a summary? See the Kauffman family name pack.