What "Stufflebeam" Really Means

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For the longest time I thought the origin of Stufflebeam meant "tree stump."  I'm trying to remember where I read it, but its stuck with me, and since last names sometimes come from location markers, it sort of made sense.  That must have been a pretty epic tree stump.

But last names can also come from a physical trait of an ancestor.  (The surname "Short" for instance.)

A couple weeks ago I was with my Grandparents and Mom, visiting the home of their dear, old friends.  This couple immigrated from Germany in the 1950's, still fluent, light accent when speaking English.

I told Trudy, who has a wonderful sense of humor, about my last name.  She wanted to know what it was, before becoming Americanized during the Revolutionary War by my ancestor who fought, but I couldn't remember the correct spelling.  I got my cellphone out, accessed the ancestry.org app, and showed her the name.

"Stoppelbein."

Trudy started giggling something fierce.

I was confused and asked what it was, but she just kept giggling.

Then, when she could breath, she said, "Your last name means stumped leg!"

"What?"

"Stoppel," she explained, "Means stubble or stump."  Giggling some more, "And bein means leg."

So maybe it wasn't a tree stump after all that brought about my surname.  Maybe it was my ancestor with that stumped leg . . .

. . . or hairy legs . . .

. . .