Coffman
A surname that likely began as a spelling shift of German Kaufmann, meaning “merchant” or “trader.”
The #1,421 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,360 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest old-language explanation is that Coffman is an Americanized spelling of German Kaufmann, literally “merchant” or “trader.” In English records, the name was also written in forms such as Cofman, Copeman, or Cufman, which suggests shifting spelling and pronunciation as it moved between languages. Some 19th-century writers also treated it as an English surname form, but the German occupational origin is the clearest explanation for most modern bearers.
History
The surname appears in English-speaking records by the 19th century and was noted in American name lists. Later onomastic work explicitly equated Coffman with German Kaufmann, reflecting the common Americanization of immigrant surnames. Because several spellings circulated, the name can sometimes look more English than it really is.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 1902 surname study explicitly glossed Coffman as Kaufmann, showing how easily German names were reshaped in English spelling.
From the historical record
“Akey, Achey, Aker, and Akin, — a most numerous delegation ; Mr. Wart ; two families of Dropsie ; fourteen families of Cramp ; Mr. Coffman, Mr. Stag- ers, Mr. Vitus (" St. Vitus's dance " ?), Mr. Illman ; Messrs. Sick, Sickman, and Sickling. In Buffalo, N.Y., in 1855, were families of Fester, Prickle (before…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)