2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Shafron
A surname likely derived from the German place name Schafrain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Shafron. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shafron 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Shafron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shafron, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shafron
The surname Shafron is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "schafron," which referred to a type of headgear worn by soldiers or knights. This name may have been given to someone who made or sold such headgear or perhaps to a soldier who commonly wore it.
Early records show variations in the spelling, including Schaffron, Schaffrohn, and Shaffron. The name can be found in various medieval German documents and chronicles, though specific references are scarce due to the age of these records.
One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Hans Shafron, a merchant from the town of Nuremberg who lived in the late 15th century. Another early example is Johann Shafron, a German knight who participated in the Crusades in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Shafron family living in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. This family was involved in the textile trade and owned several weaving workshops.
As the name spread beyond Germany, it underwent further spelling variations. In England, for instance, it became Shaffron or Shaffrone. One notable bearer of this name was Sir William Shaffron, an English nobleman who lived in the 17th century and served as a member of Parliament.
In the 18th century, a Shafron family settled in the American colonies, with Johannes Shafron being among the first to arrive in Pennsylvania in the 1720s. His descendants later spread to other parts of the country, and some became prominent figures in their communities.
Other notable individuals with the surname Shafron include Friedrich Shafron, a German philosopher and writer from the 19th century, and Eliza Shafron, an Australian artist and sculptor active in the early 20th century.
While the name Shafron is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of surnames that have their roots in medieval Europe and reflect the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped our modern societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shafron
Among Census respondents with the surname Shafron, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Shafron 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 Shafron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 105
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shafron
Shafron 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+23 bearers (+23.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,987 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-12 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,216 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 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +23 bearers (+23.0%) | Up 13,987 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 12,216 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 Shafron 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 | #136,449 | #148,665 | -9.0% |
| Count | 123 | 111 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shafron bearers went from 123 to 111 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 12,216 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #148,665.
FAQ
Shafron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shafron?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Shafron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Shafron?
Shafron ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Shafron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Shafron.
Has Shafron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shafron went from 123 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 12 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Shafron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shafron, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Shafron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shafron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Shafron (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 Shafron mean?
A surname likely derived from the German place name Schafrain. 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 Shafron (0.04 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 are called Shafron?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Shafron at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.