Talk:Viola Ruffner

Ruffner notes
The earliest Ruffener recorded in the USA was a Swiss mercenary Thomas Ruffener in 1710. Simon Ruffener was recorded in 1743 as arriving from aboard the Loyal Judith out of Rotterdam with a wife, 2 children and possibly a brother Peter.

It is likely that Lewis Ruffner descended from either Peter Ruffner of Virginia or Simon of Pennsylvania who also spent time in Virginia.

Variants of the Ruffner name include Ruffiner Rufener Ruffener and Zen Ruffiner most all from Swiss origins.

http://history.swissroots.org/genealogy.0.html?f=&p=Raron&rg=10&jreg=0&m=exact&do=&id=

Loosely translated the name is a place name meaning landslide- this is from a translation done at the NewBerry Library in Chicago. Although some link it to Rufinius for the red or to call rufen. see below

Ruffener gold Ruffiner gold Zen Ruffinen - > = germanisation high valaisanne of the Latin first name russet-red Rufinus. Dürret = Freibourgese germanisation of the patronym Durret Duret “small hard”. Geiser = chevrier. 100% 2. Rufer gold Rufener - > Which calls which shouts in German. Rüfenacht and Rufenacht come from a place known as Bernese and argovien being able to mean “night of the songs of birds” or “round of applause of the call”; a branch made stock in Normandy. (2.11.97)