Pfister is a German surname.

Etymology

"Pfister" comes from the Latin word for "

baker A baker is a tradesperson who bakes and sometimes sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient history Since grains ha ...

": pistor, via the High German Consonant Shift that transformed the "p" into "pf". The name is found principally in those parts of ethnic Germany that were part of the Roman empire, while the native German word "Bäcker" is found elsewhere. The etymology is evident in old towns throughout these parts where a "Pfisterngasse" (Baker Street) is commonly found, and still containing bakeries, such as Pfisterngasse in Solothurn.

People

Notable people with the surname include: * Albrecht Pfister, one of the first European printers to use movable type *

Albrecht Pfister (mathematician) Albrecht Pfister (born July 30, 1934) is a German mathematician specializing in algebra and in particular quadratic forms. Pfister received his doctoral degree in 1961 at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. The title of his doctoral th ...

, a German mathematician *

Charles F. Pfister Charles F. Pfister (June 17, 1859 – November 12, 1927) was a wealthy tannery magnate, bank financier, utility owner, newspaper publisher, hotelier and philanthropist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was also a central figure in the stalwart "Old Guar ...

, a wealthy tannery magnate, bank financier, utility owner, newspaper publisher, hotelier, and philanthropist * Christian Pfister, a French historian *

Christian Pfister (Swiss historian) Christian Pfister (born 23 August 1944 in Bern) is a Swiss historian. Life Pfister studied history and geography at the University of Bern from 1966 to 1970, where he graduated in 1974. This was followed by study visits to the University of Roc ...

* Daniel Pfister *

George Pfister George Edward Pfister (September 4, 1918 – August 14, 1997) was an American catcher, coach and executive in Major League Baseball. Pfister threw and batted right-handed, stood tall and weighed during his playing career (1939–1941; 1946–1 ...

Hank Pfister Hank Pfister (born October 9, 1953) is a former tennis player from the United States, who won two singles titles (1981, Maui and 1982, Newport) during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest individual ranking on the ATP ...

, American tennis player * Hanspeter Pfister *

Manuel Pfister Manuel Pfister (born December 4, 1988) is an Austrian luger who has competed since 1999. His best finish at the FIL World Luge Championships was 17th in the men's singles event at Oberhof in 2008. Pfister's best finish at the FIL European Luge C ...

Marcus Pfister Marcus Pfister (born 30 July 1960 in Bern, Switzerland) is a Swiss author and illustrator of children's picture books. His '' Rainbow Fish'' series of children's picture books, published since 1992, has been a worldwide success. The books have ...

, Swiss author, illustrator *

Nadia Pfister Nadia Pfister (born 18 September 1995 in Basel) is a Swiss professional squash player. As of February 2018, she was ranked number 96 in the world and the best female Swiss player on the world tour of this year. She has represented Switzerland inte ...

(born 1995), Swiss squash player * Oskar Pfister * Otto Pfister *

Otto Pfister (naturalist) Otto Pfister is a nature photographer with particular expertise on the wildlife of Ladakh, India. While working in India from bio in p. 447. Pfister contributed most of the brilliant photographs in this book. for over 12 years with the Swiss ...

* Phil Pfister, strongman * Wally Pfister, Academy Award winning cinematographer and director

Related names

* The "

Feaster Feaster is a surname that many (but not all) Pfisters from Bavaria and Switzerland took after immigrating to the United States. Notable people with the name feasted include: *Allison Feaster, WNBA player with the Indiana Fever * Jay Feaster, ...

" surname was adopted by some Pfisters that immigrated to the United States. Pister was also used as misspelling of Pfister by German immigrants coming to the United States.

Etymology

People

Related names

See also