Haffner last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Haffner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Haffner.

Meaning of Haffner

A German occupational surname referring to a potter or stovemaker, derived from the Middle High German word "hafener."

Haffner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Haffner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Haffner in America

Haffner is the 10176th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Haffner surname appeared 3,170 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Haffner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Haffner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10176 10049 1.26%
Count 3,170 2,958 6.92%
Proportion per 100k 1.07 1.10 -2.76%

The history of the last name Haffner

The surname Haffner is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from the Old German word "hafo," which means "pot" or "cauldron." This suggests that the name may have been occupational, referring to someone who made or worked with pots or cauldrons.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Haffner can be found in the Bavarian town of Nürnberg, where a certain Hans Haffner was mentioned in a document dated 1418. This document, a register of citizens, provides valuable insight into the prevalence of the name in that area during the 15th century.

In the following centuries, the name Haffner continued to appear in various records across Germany. In the 16th century, a prominent individual named Johann Haffner (1497-1548) was a respected theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. His writings and teachings had a lasting impact on the religious landscape of the time.

During the 17th century, the Haffner family seemed to have established a strong presence in the city of Dresden, Saxony. In a census record from 1688, several Haffner households were listed, including that of a certain Heinrich Haffner, a wealthy merchant and landowner.

Another notable figure with the surname Haffner was Carl Philipp Haffner (1767-1831), a German composer and musician who lived during the Classical period. He was a contemporary of Mozart and is best known for his contributions to the development of the concerto form.

In the 19th century, the name Haffner appeared in various places across Germany, including the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One prominent individual was Johann Jakob Haffner (1815-1891), a German-American painter and lithographer who emigrated to the United States and became known for his landscapes and portraits of Native Americans.

Over the course of history, the surname Haffner has been associated with a diverse range of professions and achievements, from religious leaders and scholars to artists and entrepreneurs. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Bavaria, the name has since spread across Germany and beyond, carrying with it a rich heritage and a fascinating story of its own.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Haffner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Haffner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Haffner was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.50% 2,964
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.32% 42
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.76% 24
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.50% 16
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.58% 50
Hispanic Origin 2.33% 74

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Haffner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.50% 95.57% -2.19%
Black 1.32% 0.74% 56.31%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.76% 0.95% -22.22%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.50% 0.17% 98.51%
Two or More Races 1.58% 1.22% 25.71%
Hispanic 2.33% 1.35% 53.26%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Haffner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Haffner, please contact us.

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"Haffner last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/haffner-surname-popularity/.

"Haffner last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/haffner-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Haffner last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/haffner-surname-popularity/.

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