Pfotenhauer Family History
Pfotenhauer Name Meaning
South German: from Middle High German phatte vade vate ‘fence post roof beam purlin’ + an agent derivative of houwen ‘to cut or hew’ hence an occupational name for a maker of posts and beams although the folk-etymological translation of the name would be ‘paw slapper’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022