Hoffert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hoffert

What does the name Hoffert mean?

The lineage of the name Hoffert begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in either of the settlements called Ufford in the counties of Northamptonshire and Suffolk. The surname Hoffert belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Hoffert family

The surname Hoffert was first found in Suffolk at Ufford, a parish, in the union of Woodbridge, hundred of Wilford. 1 Ufford is also a civil parish in the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Both parishes are ancient. The Cambridgeshire parish dates back to Saxon times when it was first listed as Uffawyrtha in 948. The Suffolk parish dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was listed as Uffeworda. 2

Both essentially mean "enclosure of a man called Uffa," from the Old English personal name + "worth." 3

"Of this family, which afterwards arrived to great honour, Robert, a younger son of John de Peyton, of Peyton in the county of Suffolk, assumed his surname from the lordship of Ufford, in that shire, became Robert de Ufford. His son was summoned to Parliament as a Baron in 1308, and his grandson, also a Robert de Ufford, was created Earl of Suffolk. " 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 may confirm this claim as Robert de Ufford was listed in Suffolk at that time. 5 Later the Feet of Fines listed Thomas Ufford in Essex in 1391. 6

One source has interesting note about the family: "Robert de Ufford (d. 1298), was the founder of the greatness of the family. A younger son of a Suffolk landowner, John de Peyton, Robert assumed his surname from his lordship of Ufford in Suffolk, and attended Edward I on his crusade. Between 1276 and 1281 he acted as Justice of Ireland. He was instructed by Edward I to introduce English laws into Ireland, and practised skilfully but unscrupulously the policy of sowing dissension among the different Irish septs. He also built the castle of Roscommon 'at countless cost.' " 7

Robert de Ufford (1298-1369) the first Earl of Suffolk was Robert's grandson and the second but eldest surviving son and heir of Robert de Ufford (1279-1316.)

William de Ufford (1339?-1382), second Earl of Suffolk was the second but eldest surviving son of Robert de Ufford, first Earl of Suffolk. 7

Early History of the Hoffert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hoffert research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1308, 1345, 1346, 1349, 1404, 1413, 1582 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Hoffert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoffert Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Hoffert has undergone many spelling variations, including Ufford, Ufforde, Hawford, Hoffard and others.

Early Notables of the Hoffert family

Notables of the family at this time include Maud de Ufford, Countess of Oxford (1345/1346-1413), a wealthy English noblewoman and the wife of Thomas de Vere, 8th Earl of Oxford, only child was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the favourite of King Richard II of England, took part in a conspiracy against King Henry IV of England and was sent to the Tower of London...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hoffert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hoffert migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Hoffert were among those contributors:

Hoffert Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mates Hoffert, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 8
Lorentz Hoffert, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 8
Christian Hoffert, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1761 8
Henri Hoffert, who landed in New York, NY in 1782 8

Hoffert Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Karl Hoffert, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 8

Hoffert migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hoffert Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Barbara Hoffert, aged 47, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Johann Hoffert, aged 17, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Johann Hoffert, aged 50, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902
Paulina Hoffert, aged 6, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1902

Contemporary Notables of the name Hoffert (post 1700) +

Paul Matthew Hoffert CM (b. 1943), American recording artist, performer and media music composer, one of the founders of the rock group Lighthouse

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)