Pfaff Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Pfaff last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Pfaff last name
Meaning of the Pfaff last name: "priest". Pfaff is a German surname from Middle High German pfaffe, "priest, cleric", the southern form of Low German Pape, used for a servant of a priest or a nickname. The last name is common in southwest Germany. Pfaff sewing machines came from Kaiserslautern.
Arms associated with the Pfaff name
German heraldry loves canting arms that echo a name, a custom seen in coats of arms linked with Pfaff.
Get your full Pfaff family history
This is only a glimpse of the Pfaff story. The full Pfaff history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Pfaff coat of arms. Get the full Pfaff report.
Pfaff name FAQ
What does the Pfaff name mean?
"priest". Common variants include Pfaffe, Pfaffmann.
Where does the Pfaff surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States, Switzerland and Austria.
Is there a Pfaff coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Pfaff coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Duden Familiennamen; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).