Schiffert last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Schiffert

A German surname referring to a worker or maker of ships.

Schiffert, 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 Schiffert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schiffert in America

Schiffert is the 132206th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schiffert surname appeared 128 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Schiffert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schiffert 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 132206 117538 11.75%
Count 128 137 -6.79%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.05 -22.22%

The history of the last name Schiffert

The surname SCHIFFERT has its origins in Germany, likely emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Schiffer," which means a boatman, sailor, or ferryman. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were involved in maritime professions or lived near bodies of water where such occupations were common.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SCHIFFERT name can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, dating back to the late 15th century. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the Rhine region of Germany, where many villages and towns were situated along the mighty Rhine River, offering ample opportunities for maritime trade and transportation.

In the 16th century, a notable individual named Hans SCHIFFERT (1525-1592) was a prominent merchant and ship owner based in the city of Hamburg. His successful business ventures contributed to the economic growth of the Hanseatic League, a powerful trading network that dominated maritime commerce in Northern Europe during that era.

During the 17th century, the SCHIFFERT name spread to other parts of Europe as families migrated or sought new opportunities. One such individual was Johann SCHIFFERT (1620-1678), a skilled shipbuilder from Stralsund, Germany, who relocated to Sweden and helped establish a thriving shipyard in the coastal city of Gothenburg.

As the centuries progressed, the SCHIFFERT name continued to be associated with maritime pursuits, but also diversified into other professions. In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the name was Karl SCHIFFERT (1745-1819), a respected naval architect and engineer who made significant contributions to the design and construction of warships for the Prussian Navy.

Another distinguished individual with this surname was Friedrich SCHIFFERT (1830-1905), a German explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to Africa and the Middle East, where he made important discoveries and documented previously unknown species of plants and animals.

Throughout its long history, the SCHIFFERT surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from seafarers and merchants to scholars and explorers. While its origins can be traced back to the maritime professions of medieval Germany, the name has since become a part of the rich tapestry of cultural diversity that defines the modern world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schiffert

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

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 Schiffert was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.19% 118
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Schiffert has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.19% 92.70% -0.55%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 3.65% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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"Schiffert last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 17, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/schiffert-surname-popularity/.

"Schiffert last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/schiffert-surname-popularity/. Accessed 17 May, 2025

Schiffert last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/schiffert-surname-popularity/.

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