a German surname meaning 'court man' or 'steward'; notable bearers include actor Dustin Hoffman
German compound of Hof 'court, courtyard' + Mann 'man', originally denoting a court official or steward
The surname Hoffman originally meant 'court man' and referred to someone who worked at a royal or noble court. It's one of those occupational surnames that tells us exactly what someone's ancestor did for a living!
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