Coat of Arms & Family Crests Store
  Pifer Coat of Arms / Pifer Family CrestThe surname of PIFER is of German origin, an occupational name meaning 'the pfeifer' one who played the pipe, a musician. The associated coat of arms is recorded in Rietstaps Armorial General. Registered in Germany. The name is also spelt PFEFFER, and PHIEFER. Surnames are divided into four categories, from occupations, nicknames, baptismal and locational. All the main types of these are found in German-speaking areas, and names derived from occupations and from nicknames are particularly common. A number of these are Jewish. Patronymic surnames are derived from vernacular Germanic given names, often honouring Christian saints. Regional and ethnic names are also common. The German preposition 'von (from) or 'of', used with habitation names, is taken as a mark of aristocracy, and usually denoted proprietorship of the village or estate from where they came. Some members of the nobility affected the form VON UND ZU with their titles. In eastern Germany there was a heavy influence both from and on neighbouring Slavonic languages. Many Prussian surnames are of Slavonic origin. Notable members of the name include Willelm Freidrich Phillipp PFEFFER (1845-1920) the German botanist, born near Cassel. He trained as a pharmacist, and became a specialist in plant physiology. His 'Handbuch de Pfanzenphysiologie' (1881) was a standard work. Ida PFEIFFER (1797-1858) was the Austrian traveller, born in Vienna. After making two journeys round the world (1846-48, 1851-54) in 1856 she went on an expedition to Madagascar, endured terrible hardships, and came home to die. She wrote accounts of all her journeys. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe. The lion is the noblest of all wild beasts which is made to be the emblem of strength and valour, and is on that account the most frequently borne in Coat-Armour. |
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