2000
#10,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,816
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.04
Rare Last name
Schaff
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, shepherd, or manager of sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,079 Americans carry the last name Schaff. That puts it at #11,256 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,320 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaff 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
3.1K
1 in 111,320
Census rank
#11,256
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,685 bearers of the surname Schaff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11256th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaff
The surname SCHAFF is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "scaf," meaning "ram" or "sheep." It is believed to have originated in the regions of southern Germany and Austria, where the name was likely first adopted by individuals involved in the sheep-rearing industry.
The earliest recorded instances of the name SCHAFF can be traced back to the 13th century, with mentions in various historical documents and records. One notable reference is found in the "Codex Traditionum Monasterii S. Stephani Herbipolensis," a medieval manuscript from the Monastery of St. Stephen in Würzburg, which mentions an individual named "Conradus Schaff" in the year 1278.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the SCHAFF surname began to spread across various regions of Germany and neighboring countries. In the "Nürnberger Bürgerbuch," a citizen registry from the city of Nuremberg, several individuals bearing the name SCHAFF are listed, including Hans Schaff (born circa 1410) and Ulrich Schaff (born circa 1435).
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the SCHAFF surname was Johann Schaff, a prominent theologian and reformer who lived from 1495 to 1553. He was an influential figure during the Protestant Reformation and played a significant role in the spread of Lutheran teachings in the region of Pomerania.
In the 17th century, the SCHAFF name gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Philipp Schaff (1622-1678), a German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Strasbourg and authored several notable works on legal theory and practice.
Another notable figure with the SCHAFF surname was Philip Schaff (1819-1893), a renowned theologian, church historian, and educator. Born in Switzerland, he later immigrated to the United States and became a prominent figure in the German Reformed Church. He authored numerous works on church history, including the multi-volume "History of the Christian Church."
As the SCHAFF surname spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Schaf, Schaeff, and Schäff. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic traditions, but they all shared a common root and meaning.
Today, the SCHAFF surname can be found in various parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of German and Austrian immigrants over the centuries. While the name may have originated in the sheep-rearing industry, it has since been adopted by individuals from diverse backgrounds and occupations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaff
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaff 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 Schaff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 2,464
- Two or more races3.4% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 25
- Black or African American0.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaff
Schaff 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
#11,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
+65 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 570 places
2020
#11,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,685
-196 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 221 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,465 | 2,816 | 1.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,035 | 2,881 | 0.98 | +65 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 570 places |
| 2020 | #11,256 | 2,685 | 0.90 | -196 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 221 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 Schaff 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 | #11,035 | #11,256 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,881 | 2,685 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.90 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaff bearers went from 2,881 to 2,685 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 221 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,035 to #11,256.
FAQ
Schaff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaff?
Name Census estimates that about 3,079 living Americans carry the surname Schaff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,320 residents.
How common is Schaff?
Schaff ranks #11,256 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,685 people with the surname Schaff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,079), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schaff.
Has Schaff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaff went from 2,881 recorded bearers to 2,685. That is a decrease of 196 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,035 to #11,256.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaff, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Schaff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (2,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Schaff (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 Schaff mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward, shepherd, or manager of 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 Schaff (0.90 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 have the last name Schaff?
Want to know how many people have the last name Schaff? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.