Shaefer
A German name derived from the occupation of shepherd or sheepherder.
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Shaefer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Shaefer today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Shaefer births was 1996 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Shaefer. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Shaefer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1996
7 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
1996 SSA rank
#7,825
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Shaefer: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Shaefer by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Shaefer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Shaefer
The name Shaefer has its origins in the German language and culture. It is a variation of the name Schaefer, which means "shepherd" or "herdsman" in German. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Central Europe, where it was common for people to be given occupational surnames based on their profession or trade.
In medieval times, shepherds played a crucial role in the agricultural economy, tending and guarding flocks of sheep or other livestock. The name Shaefer would have been given to someone who worked as a shepherd, likely in a rural or pastoral setting. It is possible that the name may have initially been a nickname or descriptive title before becoming a more formal surname.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shaefer can be found in various historical documents and records from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions of present-day Germany and neighboring areas. While it is not commonly referenced in ancient texts or religious scriptures, the name's occupational origin reflects the importance of shepherding in medieval European societies.
One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Shaefer was Johann Schaefer, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century (c. 1430-1505). He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and made contributions to the study of theology and philosophy during the Renaissance period.
Another notable individual with this name was Johann Gottlob Schaefer (1720-1795), a German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy, including discovering several asteroids and comets.
In the 19th century, a famous German artist named August Schaefer (1833-1916) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in Germany.
Charles Schaefer (1857-1917) was an American businessman and inventor who played a pivotal role in the development of the amusement park industry. He designed and built several early roller coasters and other rides, contributing to the growth of amusement parks as a popular form of entertainment.
Finally, Edith Schaefer (1914-2011) was a German-American writer and Holocaust survivor. Her memoir, "Born Survivors," chronicled her experiences as a Jewish woman during World War II and her efforts to rebuild her life after the war.
While the name Shaefer has German roots and origins, it has been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions over time, reflecting the global migration and cultural exchange that has occurred throughout history.
People
Shaefer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Shaefer as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Shaefer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Shaefer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Shaefer going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Shaefer a common name?
We classify Shaefer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Shaefer most popular?
The single biggest year for Shaefer was 1996, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Shaefer is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Shaefer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Shaefer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Shaefer in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Shaefer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Shaefer in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Shaefer can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Shaefer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.