I am a Huffstetler. There are many variations, and in NC it is usually either Huffstetler, Huffstickler, or Hofstatler. In this area, Huffstetler is more common. I think the name changed when the boats arrived. Note takers wrote the names down as they sounded, not as they were spelled. Hochstattler or Hochstetler became Hufstedler and later Huffstetler. Our ancestors came from Germany, but what I have been told over the years is that we actually originated in Switzerland. Other stories I've been told are related to standing in Germany. My Grandfather said the name in Germany was Von Hofstetler, and many were doctors. He even told me the town, but I can't remember the name.