2000
#5,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,317
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Schaaf
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or sheep shearer, derived from the German word "Schaf" meaning "sheep."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,908 Americans carry the last name Schaaf. That puts it at #6,347 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,015 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaaf surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 58,015
Census rank
#6,347
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,152 bearers of the surname Schaaf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6347th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaaf
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaaf bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Schaaf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 4,652
- Two or more races3.7% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 66
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 57
- Black or African American0.5% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaaf
Schaaf appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,342
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,375
+58 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 380 places
2020
#6,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,152
-223 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,962 | 5,317 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,342 | 5,375 | 1.82 | +58 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 380 places |
| 2020 | #6,347 | 5,152 | 1.72 | -223 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 5 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Schaaf surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,342 | #6,347 | -0.1% |
| Count | 5,375 | 5,152 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.82 | 1.72 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaaf bearers went from 5,375 to 5,152 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,342 to #6,347.
FAQ
Schaaf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaaf?
Name Census estimates that about 5,908 living Americans carry the surname Schaaf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,015 residents.
How common is Schaaf?
Schaaf ranks #6,347 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,152 people with the surname Schaaf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Schaaf.
Has Schaaf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaaf went from 5,375 recorded bearers to 5,152. That is a decrease of 223 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,342 to #6,347.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaaf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaaf, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Schaaf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (4,652 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaaf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Schaaf (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Schaaf mean?
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or sheep shearer, derived from the German word "Schaf" meaning "sheep." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Schaaf (1.72 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Schaaf?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.