Hefti – Surname Saturday

Darling-Huber-Trümpi-Dürst-Hefti Line
Darling-Huber-Trümpi-Dürst-Streiff-Hefti Line
Darling-Huber-Trümpi-Becker-Wichser-Zweifel-Hefti Line
By Don Taylor

Name Origin[i]

Family Search indicates that Hefti is a Swiss German surname from Middle High German heftec or heftic, meaning ‘strong, durable.’

“Hefty” is an Americanized form of Hefti.

Geographical

In the world, Forebears reports there are about 3,813 individuals with the Hefti surname. It is most prevalent in Switzerland, where over 70% of the people with the surname live.

In the US, Forebears indicates that most Hefti’s live in California (49), and the highest frequency is in Nebraska, where one in 8,759 people have the surname.

Direct Hefti Ancestors (7 from 1636 to 1775).

• 1^st Great-grandparent: 15,  Bertha Barbara Trümpi Huber (1884-1968)
• 2^nd Great-grandfather: 30.  Bernhead Trumpi (1844-1913)
• 3^rd Great-grandfather: 60.  Bernhart Trumpi (1817-1879)
• 4th Great-Grandather: 120. Bernhard Trumpi (1776-1848)*
• 4^th Great-grandmother: 121. Anna Maria Dürst (1770-1858)
• 5^th Great-Grandmother: 241. Anna Magdalena Becker (1745-1801)
• 5^th Great-grandfather: 242. Joachim Dürst (1727-1785)
• 5^th Great-Grandmother: 243. Rosina Streiff (1743-1805)
• 6^th Great-Grandmother: 483. Anna Wichser (1702-1768)
• 6^th Great-grandmother: 485. Elsbeth Hefti (1702-1775)
• 6^th Great-Grandmother: 487. Magdalena Hefti (1707-___)
• 7^th Great-Grandmother: 967. Anna Zweifel (1692-1753)
• 7^th Great-grandfather: 970.  Fridolin Hefti (1664-1724)
• 7^th Great-grandfather: 974. Andras Hefti (1670-1714)
• 8^th Great-Grandmother: 1934. Ann Hefti (1648-1639)
• 8^th Great-grandfather: 1940. Franz Hefti (1639-1700)
• 8^th Great-Grandfather: 1948. Mathias Hefti (1636-1686)

* I have not personally researched this ancestor or the following ancestors. Instead, I am relying on the research of others to suggest these individuals and their relationships tentatively.

Locations of my Hefti Ancestors

Mathias Hefti (1636-1686) is my earliest known Hefti ancestor. He was born in Adlenbach, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, and died there. His son, Andreas, was born in Germany but died in Glarus Canton, Switzerland. All the other Hefti ancestors lived in Glarus. None of my known Hefti ancestors ever came to the United States, although several Hefti families settled in New Glarus, Green County, Wisconsin, where my Trümpi/Trümpy also settled.[ii]

My Direct Hefti Descendants

With three Hefti 8^th Great-grandparents, I expected many descendants and know of 196 descendants of Ann, Franz, and Mathias Hefti in my tree: 43 Trumpi/Trümpim, 14 Dürst, and 14 Hefti.

I have previously written about 4 of them.

• 7.  Florence Wilma Huber Darling (1908-1934)
• 15,  Bertha Barbara Trümpi Huber (1884-1968)
• 30.  Bernhead Trumpi (1844-1913)
• 60.  Bernhart Trumpi (1817-1879)

Ancestor Photographs

Sources

• Family Search Surname page.
• Forebears Surnames Page: http://forebear       s.io/surnames.
• Don Taylor Genealogy – The Ancestors of the Darling & Huber Family Line.
• Ancestry – Don Taylor’s Howell-Darling-2024 tree on Ancestry, accessed 15 March 2024.

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Endnotes

[i] Common surname origins include:

• Occupations (such as “Farmer”
• Physical characteristics (such as “Short”)
• Places or landmarks (such as “Hill”)
• Patronymics, derived from father’s name (such as Johnson from ”son of John”).

[ii] New Glarus Public Library – Family History Notes – Winter 2010.  www.newglaruspubliclibrary.org/files/2010%20Winter%20Newsletter.pdf