A Hufner, also spelt Hüfner, was a farmer in medieval Europe who managed one or more oxgangs (German: Hufe) as his own property.
(Note: Pferdner actually refers to a similar type of farmer who owned and managed one or more horse teams (pferdegespannen).
[citation needed] This may be regional, as the name appears more rarely than the variants of Hufner.
In the social hierarchy of the village the Hufners, as full farmers (Vollbauern) and owners of a farmstead with, depending on the region, 30 to 100 morgens of land, ranked above the gardeners and the tenant farmers or Häuslern.
The Hufner had the same social standing as the driver (Einspänner), the owner of a horse and carriage; both were liable for socage.