2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Schaffrath
A German surname derived from the occupation of a shepherd or sheep herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Schaffrath. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaffrath 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Schaffrath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaffrath
The surname Schaffrath is of German origin, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German words "schaffen" meaning "to create" and "rat" meaning "counsel" or "advice." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who provided guidance or advice related to creative endeavors or crafts.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Schaffrath name was Hans Schaffrath, a master blacksmith born in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1572. His work is mentioned in several guild records of the time, indicating that the name was associated with skilled craftsmanship.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and legal documents across various regions of Germany, suggesting its widespread use during this period. For instance, Johann Schaffrath, a prominent merchant from Hamburg, is mentioned in trade records from the 1640s.
The Schaffrath name also has historical ties to the region of Westphalia in northwestern Germany. In the late 18th century, a notable figure named Friedrich Schaffrath (1738-1808) was a renowned composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishop of Münster, a principality within Westphalia.
Another notable bearer of the Schaffrath name was Karl Schaffrath (1804-1872), a German historian and archivist who made significant contributions to the study of medieval history and the preservation of historical documents. He served as the director of the Prussian State Archives in Berlin.
In the 19th century, the name Schaffrath also gained recognition in the field of education. August Schaffrath (1819-1891) was a German educator and author who wrote several influential textbooks on pedagogy and teaching methods.
While the Schaffrath name is predominantly German in origin, it has also been found in other parts of Europe, likely due to migration patterns. For example, there are records of individuals with the Schaffrath surname in the Netherlands and Belgium from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaffrath
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaffrath 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 Schaffrath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Two or more races6.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaffrath
Schaffrath 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+13 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,235 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-11 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 4,235 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 8,554 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 Schaffrath 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 | #146,201 | #154,755 | -5.9% |
| Count | 113 | 102 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaffrath bearers went from 113 to 102 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 8,554 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,755.
FAQ
Schaffrath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaffrath?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Schaffrath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Schaffrath?
Schaffrath ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Schaffrath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Schaffrath.
Has Schaffrath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaffrath went from 113 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaffrath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffrath, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.9%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Schaffrath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaffrath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (6.9%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Schaffrath (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 Schaffrath mean?
A German surname derived from the occupation of a shepherd or sheep herder. 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 Schaffrath (0.03 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 Schaffrath?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.