Bischoff
A German surname meaning “bishop,” often from a nickname or an association with a bishop’s household or church office.
The #5,077 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 44,765 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bischoff is the German form of the word for “bishop,” from Middle High German bischof and Old High German bischof, ultimately from Latin episcopus. As a surname, it usually began as a nickname for someone connected with a bishop, or as an ecclesiastical nickname for a person thought to resemble a bishop in bearing or role. Some historical writers also suggest an ironic nickname sense.
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and appears in historical surname lists and place-name explanations. Related forms have also been carried into other languages and regions through migration and spelling adaptation. In some cases, the surname may have been reinforced by place names containing the same element, such as Bischofs- forms meaning “bishop’s.”
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
English surname writers often grouped Bischoff with other church-based nicknames such as Papst, Abt, and Pfaff.
From the historical record
“see under Baum] BISCHOFF ($er.) Bishop [Ger. bischof; of the same brig, as Eng. Bishop(p, q.v. in Diet. BISMARCK (Ger.) f. the place-name Bismark i.e. Bisehofsmark — the Bishop's March or Boundary [see Bischoff, and + ' O.H.Ger. marka] BLOCH (Ger.) Block (nickname) [M.H.Ger. ' btoch. O.H.Ger. 6/oA(A] BLONDEAU ]…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)