Heffner
A surname most likely from a German personal name or nickname, later carried into English-speaking countries by immigration.
The #5,029 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,233 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Heffner is generally treated as a German surname. It is likely derived from a short form of a personal name, or from a nickname based on a Germanic root, rather than from an English word. In some cases surnames of this shape can reflect dialect spellings and later Anglicization, so the exact original form is not always certain.
History
The name is found among German-speaking families and became more visible in the United States through immigration in the 18th and 19th centuries. American records often preserve variant spellings, which can make it difficult to separate Heffner from related forms such as Hefner or Haffner. Because surname spellings were not standardized early on, different branches of the same family may have ended up with slightly different forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Heffner is uncommon enough that a single family line can account for a noticeable share of bearers in one region, especially in local U.S. records.