Pfaff
A German surname meaning “priest,” originally used as a nickname or occupational label for an ecclesiastical figure.
The #5,498 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 48,767 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Pfaff comes from German pfaff, an older word for a priest, especially in colloquial or dialectal use. The surname likely began as a nickname for someone connected with the church, or for someone thought to resemble a priest in manner or appearance. Older surname dictionaries also treat it as an ecclesiastical nickname rather than a literal hereditary clerical title.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and was later carried abroad by migration, including to North America. Nineteenth- and early twentieth-century surname scholars consistently grouped Pfaff with German church-related surnames such as Abt, Bischoff, and Monch. In some records the spelling was simplified to Paff.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 1857 surname dictionary glossed Pfaff simply as “priest,” showing how directly the old nickname was understood at the time.
From the historical record
“PAS, Short steps, (v. Pasdeloup and Courtpie.) PFAFF (©.), Friest, Farson. Pfafferott and Paffenrode, Friest's assart, (v. van Berkenrode.) PFEILSCHMIDT (©.), Arrow-smith, {v. van der Pijl.) PFLUGHAUPT (^.), Head of the crowd. Pflug, plough, is a provincialism for a troop of people. PFORTEN, von der (©•), of the…”
— SurnamesNotable people named Pfaff
- Jean-Marie Pfaff (b. 1953)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.