A German, Hebrew (Jewish) and English surname, Kaufman comes from the Old English term of ‘ceapmann’ which means a person who travels as a salesman, a merchant, or one who does bartering. The spelling variations for Kaufman including Kauf, Kauffmann, Kofman and Kauffman. In Germany the early Kaufman families resided in the Hanover region. In England the concentration of Kaufman families is found in the city of London, Essex, Kent, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, Northumberland and Durham. Within the United States the early Kaufman families settled in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. Famous: Andrew Kaufman (writer from Canada), Irving Kaufman (entertainer), Millard Kaufman (novelist and screenwriter), Mel Kaufman (professional football player), Philip Kaufman (movie film director), Andy Kaufman (comic, actor and entertainer; song and dance), Lloyd Kaufman (co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio and film director), Charles Kaufman (producer, director and screenwriter), David Kaufman (early documentary film producer and director), Herbert Kaufman (author and journalist), Louis Kaufman (celebrity violinist) and David Spangler Kaufman (first Jewish U.S. Congressman from Texas and namesake of Kaufman County).