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Hafner Family History

Hafner Surname Meaning

South German (also Häfner): occupational name for a potter Middle High German hafner an agent derivative of Middle High German hafen ‘pot dish’. This is the normal term for the occupation in southeastern Germany and Austria and the German surname is found mainly in this area.

Compare Haefner and Haffner. Slovenian: occupational name for a potter of German origin (see above) often applied as a translation into German of the corresponding Slovenian surname Lončar (see Loncar).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Hafner family from?

You can see how Hafner families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Hafner family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Hafner families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 9 Hafner families living in Channel Islands. This was about 35% of all the recorded Hafner's in United Kingdom. Channel Islands and 1 other county had the highest population of Hafner families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Hafner surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Hafner ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid Domestic Duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Hafner. 62% of Hafner women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Hafner | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    62%
  • Domestic Servant
    24%
  • None
    16%

What Hafner family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 22,000 census records available for the last name Hafner. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Hafner census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Hafner

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Hafner. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Hafner immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Hafner. For the veterans among your Hafner ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Hafner military records

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