2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schafers
A German surname derived from the occupational term for a shepherd or sheep farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Schafers. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schafers 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Schafers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schafers, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schafers
The surname Schafers is of German origin, derived from the occupation of a shepherd or sheep herder. It is believed to have originated in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, in various regions of Germany.
The name is derived from the Middle High German word "schāf," meaning "sheep," and the suffix "-er," indicating a person associated with the specified occupation. This suffix was commonly used to form surnames related to professions or trades during that time period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Schafers can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Konrad Schafer was mentioned in a document dated 1358. Another early record comes from the town of Mainz, where a man named Hans Schafer was listed in the city's tax records in 1427.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as Schaefer, Schäffer, and Schefer, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. For instance, a merchant named Peter Schaefer is recorded in the city of Cologne in 1472, while a farmer named Heinz Schefer is mentioned in a land registry in Bavaria in 1489.
Notable individuals with the surname Schafers include:
1. Johann Schafers (1624-1677), a German composer and organist active in the 17th century.
2. Anna Margaretha Schafers (1720-1788), a German painter and engraver known for her portraits and religious works.
3. Wilhelm Schafers (1832-1903), a German politician and member of the Reichstag, the imperial parliament of Germany.
4. Franz Schafers (1876-1945), a German architect best known for designing several notable buildings in Berlin in the early 20th century.
5. Bernhard Schafers (1913-1976), a German philosopher and sociologist who made significant contributions to the study of social theory and the concept of "life-world."
While the surname Schafers has its roots in medieval Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to emigration and migration, with various spellings and variations emerging over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schafers
Among Census respondents with the surname Schafers, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Schafers 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 Schafers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino23.5% · 28
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schafers
Schafers 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,463 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,463 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,432 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 Schafers 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 | #145,220 | #142,788 | 1.7% |
| Count | 114 | 119 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schafers bearers went from 114 to 119 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,788.
FAQ
Schafers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schafers?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Schafers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Schafers?
Schafers ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Schafers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Schafers.
Has Schafers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schafers went from 114 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Schafers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schafers, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Schafers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schafers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.1%), Hispanic (23.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Schafers (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 Schafers mean?
A German surname derived from the occupational term for a shepherd or sheep farmer. 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 Schafers (0.04 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 people are called Schafers?
See how many people have the last name Schafers on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.