Seeking where the name Huffman came from
JenniferH
I'm from North Carolina and I've been told that Huffman is German but I want to know more than that. Does anyone know more about where the name comes from?
Comments
2search on 2014-01-06 14:33:30I cannot answer your question, but I have traced my Huffman line to Stokes County, North Carolina. Philip Huffman was my GGGGrandfather, m.Elise Snider in 1805. Are these names familiar?
Richardcastle on 2014-02-15 14:04:15Yes it is German and likely to be relation to an occupation. The "man" ending gives us that. There seems to be no Huffman in UK dictionaries. It could be an obsolete occupation.
The main online dictionary of German Occupations is still working on the H section and I cannot find it anywhere else.
Your Elsie's surname has been mangled but is German also Schneider cutter. Schneidwind cutwind or sailor gets into England as Sherwin sometimes even Sherrin.
Huf in German is our Hoof but in the past was used for a shoe or foot. Hufschmidt is a shoemaker. Hufnagal a needle or nail maker. Hoofman does not make sense. Footman possibly.
One possibility is that your name is a corruption of Kaufman -a merchant- but I have no examples of such a mutation.
Huff is used in three ways in England. To blow on -huff and puff- to remove "send off" the game draughts still retains the term. To be angry - to snort. Do not think we can take this line too far.
Hopes this helps a bit.