Kaufmann

Kaufmann is a surname of German origin meaning merchant or trader. It is an occupational name historically given to someone involved in commerce.

The name derives from the German word kauf, “to buy,” and the noun mann, “man.” Variants include Kaufman and Kauffmann; in English-speaking countries, Kaufman is a common spelling.

Kaufmann is found across German-speaking regions such as Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, and among Ashkenazi Jewish communities. It has been anglicized in North America and Israel in forms such as Kaufman and Kauffman.

Notable bearers include Walter Kaufmann (1921–1980), a German-born American philosopher and translator of Nietzsche, and Edgar J. Kaufmann (1888–1955), an American department-store owner whose patronage funded Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater.

The surname appears in various fields, including business, academia, and the arts, and is often discussed in the context of Germanic and Jewish cultural and historical heritage.