2000
#505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.96
Uncommon Last name
Shaffer
A German occupational surname referring to a steward or manager of sheep or other livestock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 65,491 Americans carry the last name Shaffer. That puts it at #577 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,234 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shaffer 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Shaffer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
65K
1 in 5,234
Census rank
#577
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
57K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 57,111 bearers of the surname Shaffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 577th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shaffer
The surname Shaffer is of German origin, derived from the word "Schäfer," which means "shepherd" in English. It originated in the 13th century and was initially used as an occupational surname for those who worked as shepherds or tended to flocks of sheep.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Shaffer can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Hesse, and Saxony. In these areas, the name appeared in various forms, such as Schäfer, Schaefer, and Scheffer, reflecting regional spelling variations.
One of the earliest known references to the name Shaffer can be found in the Bremische Bürgerliste (Bremen Citizens' List) of 1289, which mentions a certain "Henricus Schäfer." This document provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during the medieval period.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way into historical records in other countries. For instance, in England, the name appeared as early as the 16th century, with instances such as John Shaffer, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1524.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who carried the surname Shaffer. One prominent figure was Jacob Shaffer (1765-1842), a German-born American pastor and missionary who played a significant role in the early Methodist movement in the United States.
Another notable Shaffer was Wilhelm Shaffer (1809-1889), a German-American businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1867 to 1871. He was instrumental in the development of Baltimore's infrastructure and urban planning during his tenure.
In the realm of literature, Moses Shaffer (1835-1909) was an American writer and journalist who published several works, including "The Memoirs of a Veteran" and "The Siege of Knoxville."
The name Shaffer also gained recognition in the field of science with the contributions of Philip Shaffer (1863-1938), an American chemist and inventor who patented several processes and products, including a method for manufacturing artificial silk.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the legacy of Jack Shaffer (1921-2001), an American professional baseball player who spent more than a decade playing for various Major League Baseball teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shaffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shaffer 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 Shaffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 51,469
- Two or more races3.6% · 2,030
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 1,636
- Black or African American2.4% · 1,398
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 374
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 204
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shaffer
Shaffer 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
#560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,943
+716 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 20.32
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,111
-2,832 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 19.11
Rank movement Down 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #505 | 59,227 | 21.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #560 | 59,943 | 20.32 | +716 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #577 | 57,111 | 19.11 | -2,832 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 17 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 Shaffer 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 | #560 | #577 | -3.0% |
| Count | 59,943 | 57,111 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 20.32 | 19.11 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shaffer bearers went from 59,943 to 57,111 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #560 to #577.
FAQ
Shaffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shaffer?
Name Census estimates that about 65,491 living Americans carry the surname Shaffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,234 residents.
How common is Shaffer?
Shaffer ranks #577 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 57,111 people with the surname Shaffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (65,491), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Shaffer.
Has Shaffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shaffer went from 59,943 recorded bearers to 57,111. That is a decrease of 2,832 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #560 to #577.
What does the Census say about the background of Shaffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shaffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) 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 Shaffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (51,469 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shaffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%), 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 Shaffer (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 Shaffer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a steward or manager of sheep or other livestock. 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 Shaffer (19.11 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 common is the surname Shaffer?
If you just want to know how common the surname Shaffer is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.