Staab
A German surname most likely referring to someone from or named after Staab, the German form of the Bohemian town Stab/Staab.
The #9,307 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,263 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained as a locational name connected with Staab, the German name for a town in Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic). The old sources also connect it with the Bohemian place-name Stab/Staab, suggesting a person who came from that settlement. In form, it is best understood as a toponymic surname rather than an occupational or descriptive one.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers noted Staab as a U.S. family name and linked it to Bohemian origin. The name appears in immigrant-bearing communities, especially among German-speaking and Central European families, and its spelling has been relatively stable in English records. Because the sources are brief and somewhat speculative, the exact local origin should be treated cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One early 19th-century surname book singled out Staab as a rare U.S. name and suggested it came from a Bohemian place-name.
From the historical record
“STABB, STABBS. The same as Stubbs, from St. Aubyn, or from St. Ebbe's. There is however a U. S. name Staab, which would seem to be from Stab or Staab (Boh. Stoda), a market town of Bohemia. STABLE, STABLES. Same as Staple, Staples, q. v.”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames