Stauffer (also commonly spelled "Stouffer" and "Stover" in North America) is a German surname, the origin of which derives from the Proto-German word staupa, meaning "steep." Staupa and its Middle High German descendant, stouf, evolved to mean, among other things, a steep hill or mountain. Many of these hills and mountains serve as the basis for the names of such places as Donaustauf, Hohenstaufen, Staufenberg, Regenstauf, Staufen im Breisgau, and the Staufens of Switzerland and Austria. Stauffer surnames derive from these hills. The Swiss Mennonite Stauffers common in the U.S. and Canada derive their name from a hill called Stouffe or Stauffenalp just southwest of the town of Röthenbach im Emmental in Switzerland.
Notable people with the surname include:
Brenda Stauffer (born 1961), former field hockey playerChristian Stauffer (born 1579), Swiss Anabaptist leaderDietrich Stauffer (born 1943), German professor of theoretical physics at Cologne UniversityEthelbert Stauffer (1902–1979), German Protestant theologian and numismatistGrant Stauffer (1888–1949), American coal and railroad executiveHenry Stauffer (1724–1777), German Mennonite pioneerJack Stauffer (born 1945), American actor of film, television, and theaterJamie Stauffer (born 1979), professional motorcycle racerJohann Georg Stauffer (1778–1853), Austrian luthierJohn Stauffer (born 1925), former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House and SenateJoseph Stauffer (1874–1917), Alberta Liberal Party MLAJürg M. Stauffer (born 1977), Swiss politicianNathan Stauffer (19th century), first head football coach for the Dickinson College Red DevilsRudolph Stauffer (1836–1918), First Sergeant in the 5th US Cavalry during the Indian- and Apache warsSerge Stauffer (1929–1989), Swiss artist art educatorS. Walter Stauffer (1888–1975), United States Representative from PennsylvaniaTeddy Stauffer (1909–1993), Swiss-Mexican Swing Musician, Mr. AcapulcoTim Stauffer (born 1982), Major League Baseball pitcherTodd Stauffer (21st century), co-founder and publisher of the Jackson Free PressWalter Stauffer McIlhenny (1910–1985), president of McIlhenny Company