Offiler

Some surnames almost defy description as to their origins and development, "Offiler" may reasonably be described as one of them! It is almost certainly of German origin, however the first known recordings in England are in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars, a time when immigrants went to considerable lengths to disguise their country of origin. This was particularly so in these wars, as like 1940, Britain stood alone. The name first appears in the Nottingham area (see below), the holder being married to a lady called Ann, although whether she was English or foreign, is not known. Nor is it known if the nameholder was previously resident elsewhere in England, certainly he does not appear in the London records. However it seems that he was also recorded in Nottingham as "Bufler" which may be a form of the German "Buehler" a locational name for a hill dweller or from a place called Buehl. The uncertainty of the origin is reflected in the variant spelling forms which appeared almost immediately, and this may be because originally there were two brothers, Samuel Offiler (originally Hoffler) and Thomas Offler. Thomas died in 1810, although Samuel was alive in 1830. Examples of the recordings include Edward, son of Thomas & Mary, born at Basford on June 10th 1810, and Alfred, son of Samuel and Ann(e), also born at Basford on October 8th 1820. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Samuel Hoffler, which was dated August 14th 1803, a witness at the christening of his daughter Mary, at Lenton, Nottingham, during the reign of King George 111, known as "Farmer George" 1760 - 1820. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.