Pfau Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Pfau last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Pfau last name
Meaning of the Pfau last name: a nickname from the peacock. Pfau, German for peacock, was a nickname for a proud or showily dressed man, or came from a house bearing a peacock sign, which Smith also notes. The surname occurs in Saxony, Thuringia, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, and this last name arose separately in several regions.
Arms associated with the Pfau name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Pfau family history
This is only a glimpse of the Pfau story. The full Pfau history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Pfau coat of arms. Get the full Pfau report.
Pfau name FAQ
What does the Pfau name mean?
A nickname from the peacock.
Where does the Pfau surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States and Brazil.
Is there a Pfau coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Pfau coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.