The Noffsinger surname is an American variation of the Nafzger surname. It seems that the first generation of Noffsingers did use this spelling, though not exclusively. And changes in spelling seem also to occur in subsequent generations. The American “o” in Noffsinger has a similar sound to the “a” in the German “Nafzger”. It seems also that my Noffsingers my have used the Nafziger spelling, which would account for the “i”. Variations with the single and double ‘f’ were common, even among European Nafzgers. The only question, then, is where did the ‘n’ come from?

For more detail on the origin of the Nafzger name, see my Nafzger page.

Rudolph Nafzger [Noffsinger] came to America on the ship Pheonix in 1749. Most think he came from the Palatinate. With him, came Peter and Matthias, whom most believe were brothers. Efforts to link them to the European Nafzgers have so far been unsuccessful. I have seen the name Matthias suggested as the name of Rudolph’s father, but I have never seen a source or even explanation for this data. For more detail see: Family Search LHK5-N71, HNFA page 7-10, HNFA #4, NHN VII-4 (page 3), NHN III-3

John A. Noffsinger Family Search LHG4-7KC, HNFA #11.

Eli Noffsinger Family Search KNHF-R91, HNFA #150.

Daniel Noffsinger Family Search KNHK-25X, HNFA #151.

John Franklin Noffsinger Family Search 273X-71W, HNFA #164.

Daniel Marion Noffsinger Family Search KWJ6-ZLT, HNFA #164 child.