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

Schaffer, 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 Schaffer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schaffer in America

Schaffer is the 1738th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schaffer surname appeared 20,614 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Schaffer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schaffer 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 Schaffer

The surname Schaffer is of German origin, derived from the occupational name for a shepherd or sheep farmer. It is believed to have originated in the 14th century or earlier, from the Middle High German word "schaf" meaning sheep.

The name was particularly common in southern Germany, Switzerland, and parts of Austria, where sheep farming was a significant part of the local economy. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval records and documents from these regions.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Schaffer, a shepherd from the village of Seefeld in the Bavarian Alps, who was mentioned in a land registry document from 1432. Another notable early example is Johann Schaffer, a wealthy landowner and sheep farmer from the Tyrol region of Austria, who was recorded in a local court document from 1487.

The name Schaffer also appears in various forms in historical records, such as Schaefer, Schäfer, and Schäffer, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or the personal preferences of individual scribes or record-keepers.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Schaffer, including:

1. Johann Gottlieb Schaffer (1720-1795), a German naturalist and entomologist known for his work on insect classification.
2. Johann Zoffany (born Johannes Zauffely or Johann Schaffer, 1733-1810), a German-born English painter renowned for his portraits of famous figures in the late 18th century.
3. Catherine Schaffer (1839-1904), an American philanthropist and educator who founded the Schaffer Free Library in Orange, New Jersey.
4. Franz Xaver Schaffer (1876-1953), an Austrian painter and printmaker known for his landscapes and depictions of rural life.
5. Walter Schaffer (1912-1992), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s.

While the surname Schaffer has its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schaffer

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

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 Schaffer 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 Schaffer 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 Schaffer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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