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Stauffer Nationality

Posted by Loujean Stauffer <jeannie@awesomenet.net> on Thu, 23 Aug 2007, in response to adopted !!, posted by robert stauffer on Sun, 10 Apr 2005

All family names mean something and so the origin of the Stauffer name is most interesting. It has been traced back as far as 938 A.D. The Stauffer surname is from a very old German common noun "stauf," which is the German word for "cup." It is derived from the Teutonic word "staupa," meaning, "to pour." Another meaning of "stauf" is steep hill or cliff.

As applied to the Stauffer history, a "stauf" or "stauff" is a tall cup or beaker, a drinking cup, a goblet - a chalice. By adding the masculine affix "er," it signifies a "cupper." It was an official title whose use dates from the middle ages, and whose English equivalent is "cupbearer" or "butler."

The "stauff-er" title was given to an official in a nobleman's household, and so, when surnames came into vogue, the one who was a "cupbearer" or "stauff-er" took the surname "Stauffer" and so a family surname was born; however, this consisted of many individuals who had no blood relationship.

From the Bible we can learn about the cupbearer in Nehemiah 1:11. The author of the book was in fact a "cupbearer" to the king - he was actually a "stauff-er" in ancient times. If "Nehemiah the Cupbearer" would have been German, he would have been known as "Nehemiah Stauffer" - interesting! When Joseph was cast into prison, he was there with the king's chief cupbearer or butler (Genesis 40:1-13). (See cupbearers in I Kings 10:5 and II Chron 9:4.)

Other titles in early times were formed in a similar fashion, such as, one who would "weave" cloth or rugs became known as a "weave-er" and thus took the surname "Weaver." One who ran a grist-mill became known as a "mill-er," and thus took the surname "Miller." The "mill-er" handled the mill, and the "stauff-er" handled the stauff or cup - hence, the cup-bearer or cupper or Stauffer. There are many surnames formed in a similar manner.

There have been numerous spellings of the "stauffer"surname: Stauffer, Staufer, Stouffer, Stoufer, Stopher, Stoupher, Stouber, Stowfer, Stover, etc. The historic pronunciation is "St-ow-fur" (ow as in ouch), though some pronounce it "St-awe-fur" while others say "St-oh-fur" or "St-oh-ver." The primary spelling has been "Stauffer," pronounced by earlier generations "St-ow-fur," but the modern pronunciation is usually "St-awe-fur."

The "Stauffer" was like a butler and was also a collector of tolls, taxes, and any other revenue his master wanted, a part of which he would keep for himself. Because this position gave him influence and some authority, and enabled him to acquire a measure of wealth and a good life-style, it was an office to be desired. Since noblemen were numerous and each nobleman of Old Swabia had his own cup-bearer, there would be many Stauffers in Southern Germany and Switzerland regarding the word as the title of an office only. The name Stauffer was applied to the office of cupbearer only throughout Old Swabia, and so it is most probable that all the Stauffers in America find their ancestral roots in Old Swabia.

Swabia (German "Schwaben," historically "Alemanni") does not appear on modern maps. It was historically a region in southwestern Germany including what is now the southern portion of Baden-Wurttemburg and the eastern potion of Switzerland. It also claimed a portion of the northeastern corner of France (Alsace) and snip of the western end of Austria. Of course the actual boundaries of Swabia are debatable because over many centuries the borders moved around as wars took place, empires rose and fell, and the Roman Empire had its influence throughout the region. Though no specific map could be drawn that would be the one and only description, the map provided in this report will suffice for our purposes.

Swabia's name is derived from that of the Suibi, Germanic tribes people who, with the Alemanni, occupied the upper Rhine River Valley and the Upper Danube River Region. It was for a long time called Alemanni. The Great Black Forrest is included in this area and the territory spread east to the Lech river and south to include Lake Constance in Switzerland and further south to the border of Italy.

Swabia was one of the five great Duchies (territory of a Duke or Duchess - a Dukedom) of earlier medieval Germany - the other four being Franconia, Saxony, Bavaria, and Lotharingia (Lorraine). Though there were various ancient languages involved, Swabia became a German speaking people. We are talking about a couple of thousand years of history. Some claim that the Stauffers were Swiss and others say they were German. But either way, the Stauffers were a German speaking people from the region of old Swabia.

After a long succession of Dukes, Swabia was given by Henry IV to count Frederick of Hohenstaufen (1079), and it remained under Hohenstaufen control until the extinction of the line in 1268. Subsequently, the Duchy fell apart into such states as Wurttemburg, Baden, and Hohenzollern. No credence can be given to the unverified statement that the Stauffer name is derived from the noble name of Hohenstaufen, which in translation means "top of the steep hill."

Generally speaking, the Stauffers left their homes because they were persecuted on account of their religion, and because that section of Europe in which they lived was repeatedly laid waste by war. Those that survived the sword found life scarcely worth living. The Holy Roman Empire played its role in this region, exercising its might in the torture and killing of many in the name of religion. Many wars and troublesome times passed through the area to afflict these peoples.

Religious persecution and torment was a primary thorn in the flesh of the Stauffers. Every twisted doctrine and corruption in the name of religion was forced upon these hard-working people. This is why a number of them eventually escaped to America, and they came regardless of the hardships and hazzards. Most came in the days of sailing ships, which could take months to cross the Atlantic.

In Germany and Switzerland at this time, only the Roman Catholic, the Lutheran and the Reformed Churches were tolerated by law. The adherents of the "sects," as they were called, were everywhere persecuted. In Zurich in 1635 the magistrates undertook to compel all Mennonites to enter the Reformed Church.

Each Stauffer who served in a particular nobleman's estate after the 1200's passed his name on to his children, and thus became the founder of a Stauffer family. And so it must follow that there are many Stauffer family lines that have no relationship. That is why there are so many persons bearing the name "Stauffer" even now in Switzerland and especially in the Canton of Berne. The surname "Stauffer" cannot be traced back to a common ancestor because it was a title of occupation as was "Miller," etc. However, many Stauffers of today can trace their heritage back the their own Stauffer ancestor.

There are people who will sell certificates and information about a "Stauffer Coat of Arms," but most is meaningless and probably has nothing to do with your family history - save your money. A number of shields, drawings, and depictions have floated around, but although fabricated drawings and compiled old information might cause exhilaration, they bear little in the fact of your Stauffer history. Most renderings show a hand, or an arm and hand, holding a cup. The hand can be under the cup or around the cup. Sometimes it is a challis having a stem with the fingers around the stem. Some include a star or the earth, or it can be anything. Who knows what these things were actually like. You must be able to accurately trace your lineage directly back to the particular Stauffer who earned special honors and was given special recognition for exemplary services rendered. Unless you can do this, how do you know that your true Stauffer ancestor was awarded anything? For our purposes here, we simply show a challis which is to signify the meaning of the Stauffer name.

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