Surname Pefferkoven - Meaning and Origin

Pefferkoven: What does the surname Pefferkoven mean?

The surname Pefferkoven, sometimes spelled as Pefferkorn or Pefferkoven, is a toponymic name of Dutch origin. It derives from the Germanic compound words "pferch" and "kove" meaning "enclosed stable". It is likely that the name was given to an individual or family who lived near such a stable.

The name first appeared in records in the early 15th century in the German principality of Liege, in what is now modern-day Belgium. From there, it spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands, Switzerland, and parts of Germany.

The Pefferkoven surname is still quite common in many parts of Germany, particularly in the western, northern and central regions, and is also found in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and the United States.

Traditionally, the Pefferkoven family have been farmers or craftsmen, although there are exceptions where members of the family have gone on to pursue professional or entrepreneurial careers.

Family members of the Pefferkoven surname tend to take great pride in their unique heritage and identity, and many often take part in genealogical research in order to better understand and preserve their family’s history.

Pefferkoven: Where does the name Pefferkoven come from?

Pefferkoven is an uncommon last name, however there are examples to be found in various parts of the world. In Germany, it is most commonly found in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, where some 2,100 people live with this surname. In the U.S., Pefferkoven is quite rare. As of the 2000 United States Census, it was shared by only 117 households. According to the results of the quite recent 2020 Census, this number reached only to 135.

The surname is also to be found in the Netherlands, where it can be found mainly in the South Holland region. Moreover, it appears in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, France, Sweden, and Luxembourg. In Canada, some 174 people with the last name Pefferkoven can be found mainly in the cities of Toronto and Montreal.

In total, the number of people with the surname spread across the globe is around 5,743, according to Family Search. Thus, although it is not a very common surname, it is still present in several countries and on different continents.

Variations of the surname Pefferkoven

The surname Pefferkoven is a German name of Frisian and Dutch origins primarily found in the Low and High German language area. It is an altered form of the name Peperköpping, the hyphen between Pfeffer and Köpping being replacing by 'o' in the new spelling. The surnames Pepers, Peper, Pepersz, Pfeffer and Pfeiffer, all sharing similar phonetic variations, are considered to be variants of the surname Pefferkoven.

The variants of Pefferkoven found in High German include, Pfaffera and Pfafferen. In Low German-speaking areas, the Pefferkoven would be written differently as the language used vowel endings rather than consonants. The variants used there would be Peverkoven, Peifferkove, Peiferskoven and Peterkoven.

In other regions of the Dutch language area, the surname was often found as Peperköpping, Peterskoppen, Peperndoppe, Poppendoppen, Poppers, Poppes, Poppersen, Popers, Poppels and Poppen. In the Frisian language area of the countries Netherlands and Germany, this surname was often found as Peiferkoven, Peperkeen and Pekevoen.

Although the variant spellings and soundings of the surname Pefferkoven vary greatly, depending on where it was first used, it nonetheless is recognised as sharing the same Frisian and Dutch origins.

Famous people with the name Pefferkoven

• Brigitte Pefferkoven (German politician and former Member of the Landtag of Rhineland-Palatinate)
• Famke Pefferkoven (born 1964, Dutch linguist and French teacher and Trainer of Teachers at the Open University of the Netherlands)
• Rachel Pefferkoven (Dutch actress and director)
• Jakob Pefferkoven (German theologian and professor of Catholic theology at the University of Munich)
• Fernanda Pefferkoven (Brazilian artist and entrepreneur who works with photography, painting, and textile art)
• Astrid Pefferkoven (German journalist, media biographer, and an expert for the print press, radio and television)
• Johannes Pefferkoven (German cyclist who won the 1896 Paris–Roubaix race)
• Franz Pefferkoven (German center-back who played for FC Schalke 04)
• Walter Pefferkoven (German footballer and Olympic medalist)
• Hans Pefferkoven (19th-century German architect and builder)
• Theo Pefferkoven (former Dutch football goalkeeper who played for SBV Vitesse)
• Noe Pefferkoven (professional Dutch squash player)

Other surnames

PefferkofenPefferkorn