Kiefer
A German surname that can mean “fir tree” or, in some areas, “jaws,” with some branches also linked to the occupation of cooper.
The #3,240 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 27,713 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kiefer is a German surname with more than one possible source. In some regions it is connected with an occupational word for a cooper or barrel-maker, related to forms like Küfer/Köfer. In other cases it may come from the German word for a fir tree, and some historical writers also mention a sense connected with the jaws or jawbone. Because these explanations overlap in older surname collections, the exact origin can vary by family line.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and also in Alsace and neighboring regions, where French forms such as Kieffer became common. Older surname writers sometimes grouped Kiefer with occupational names for barrel-makers, while others linked it to tree or body-part vocabulary. That mix suggests the surname likely arose independently in more than one place from different local dialect forms.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname dictionaries sometimes list Kiefer among names that can mean either “fir tree” or “cooper,” showing how one spelling could hide several different local origins.
From the historical record
“Kieckebnsch HI. ON. (in Brandenb.). Kiefer s. Küfer. Kiehne s. Kun (einst K.). Kieknth III. niederd. Satz-N.: „schau aus" — doch zunächst wohl ON. (auf Rügen)”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen