Find out how popular the last name Schaaf is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schaaf.

Schaaf, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schaaf surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schaaf in America

Schaaf is the 6342nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schaaf surname appeared 5,375 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Schaaf.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schaaf to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Schaaf

The surname Schaaf is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Schaf," which means "sheep." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a shepherd or in the wool trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Schaaf can be found in the 14th century in the town of Mainz, Germany. A document from 1368 mentions a "Johannes Schaf," which is an earlier spelling of the modern surname.

In the 15th century, the name Schaaf appeared in various records across Germany, including the town of Nuremberg, where a "Hans Schaff" was mentioned in a tax record from 1487.

During the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Switzerland. In the Dutch province of Friesland, there is a town called Schaafsbergen, which may have derived its name from the presence of sheep herders in the area.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Schaaf was Johann Schaaf, a German composer and organist who lived from 1661 to 1714. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque style in Germany.

Another historical figure was Johann Gottfried Schaaf (1725-1790), a German classical scholar and author who wrote extensively on ancient Greek literature and philosophy.

In the 19th century, Jacob Schaaf (1857-1932) was a German-American industrialist who founded the Schaaf Brewing Company in New York City, one of the largest breweries in the state at the time.

The name Schaaf has also been associated with various locations throughout history. For example, Schaafsheim is a town in the German state of Hesse, and Schaafdijk is a village in the Netherlands.

One of the most notable individuals with the surname Schaaf in recent history was Charles Schaaf (1930-2019), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Toys for Tots program in 1947, which has collected and distributed millions of toys to children in need.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schaaf

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schaaf.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schaaf was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schaaf has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Schaaf was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Schaaf, please contact us.

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