Schaffer Surname
Approximately 47,021 people bear this surname
Schaffer Surname Definition:
(Ger.) Shepherd [Ger. schäfer; from (with agential suff. -er) schaf, Middle High German schâf, O.H.Ger. scâf, a sheep]
Read More About This SurnameSchaffer Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 29,849 | 1:12,143 | 1,503 |
| Germany | 6,004 | 1:13,409 | 1,747 |
| Austria | 3,393 | 1:2,510 | 225 |
| Brazil | 2,415 | 1:88,644 | 3,347 |
| Canada | 1,000 | 1:36,846 | 4,678 |
| Hungary | 749 | 1:13,106 | 1,486 |
| Switzerland | 677 | 1:12,131 | 2,005 |
| Argentina | 668 | 1:63,987 | 5,460 |
| Australia | 439 | 1:61,494 | 7,426 |
| England | 319 | 1:174,665 | 15,923 |
| South Africa | 209 | 1:259,223 | 26,097 |
| Czechia | 192 | 1:55,383 | 9,269 |
| France | 188 | 1:353,312 | 52,982 |
| Netherlands | 130 | 1:129,901 | 20,177 |
| Sweden | 85 | 1:115,844 | 8,286 |
| Chile | 70 | 1:251,664 | 7,573 |
| Thailand | 61 | 1:1,158,006 | 169,912 |
| Paraguay | 60 | 1:120,612 | 2,672 |
| Poland | 44 | 1:863,835 | 66,160 |
| New Zealand | 41 | 1:110,447 | 14,290 |
| Dominican Republic | 39 | 1:267,511 | 9,432 |
| Denmark | 33 | 1:171,052 | 14,584 |
| Romania | 31 | 1:647,673 | 45,663 |
| Wales | 28 | 1:110,519 | 8,545 |
| Israel | 27 | 1:316,949 | 27,106 |
| Belgium | 24 | 1:479,027 | 47,365 |
| Nicaragua | 22 | 1:273,686 | 2,870 |
| Mexico | 18 | 1:6,895,900 | 33,734 |
| Spain | 17 | 1:2,750,120 | 61,567 |
| Scotland | 16 | 1:334,614 | 15,044 |
| Norway | 15 | 1:342,819 | 32,589 |
| Slovenia | 14 | 1:177,691 | 14,620 |
| Venezuela | 13 | 1:2,323,391 | 26,733 |
| Slovakia | 12 | 1:444,704 | 54,815 |
| Uruguay | 11 | 1:311,978 | 20,848 |
| Italy | 9 | 1:6,795,188 | 113,457 |
| United Arab Emirates | 9 | 1:1,018,030 | 36,884 |
| Liechtenstein | 8 | 1:4,797 | 618 |
| Croatia | 8 | 1:528,576 | 38,675 |
| Papua New Guinea | 7 | 1:1,164,817 | 109,517 |
| China | 6 | 1:227,886,928 | 11,701 |
| Jersey | 5 | 1:19,840 | 3,614 |
| Singapore | 4 | 1:1,376,926 | 28,409 |
| Philippines | 4 | 1:25,309,556 | 279,062 |
| Finland | 4 | 1:1,374,176 | 50,379 |
| Vietnam | 3 | 1:30,882,018 | 4,101 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 3 | 1:36,792 | 4,502 |
| Peru | 3 | 1:10,594,708 | 45,902 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 1:5,301,949 | 30,184 |
| South Korea | 2 | 1:25,620,128 | 4,175 |
| Luxembourg | 2 | 1:290,271 | 8,611 |
| Russia | 2 | 1:72,061,528 | 727,117 |
| Barbados | 2 | 1:143,724 | 1,981 |
| Malaysia | 2 | 1:14,747,112 | 316,340 |
| Colombia | 1 | 1:47,774,072 | 44,230 |
| Turkmenistan | 1 | 1:5,489,112 | 11,427 |
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1:1,845,036 | 20,648 |
| Morocco | 1 | 1:34,476,099 | 111,471 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 1:4,780,069 | 13,345 |
| Cayman Islands | 1 | 1:63,893 | 2,384 |
| Burkina Faso | 1 | 1:18,352,100 | 30,051 |
| Greece | 1 | 1:11,079,790 | 145,225 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 1:10,616,434 | 17,077 |
| India | 1 | 1:767,065,382 | 1,851,717 |
| Jamaica | 1 | 1:2,869,947 | 13,896 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1:17,682,496 | 204,010 |
| Malawi | 1 | 1:17,119,109 | 34,144 |
| Belize | 1 | 1:355,474 | 3,977 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1:4,708,939 | 29,543 |
| Nigeria | 1 | 1:177,142,758 | 748,972 |
| Panama | 1 | 1:3,912,258 | 17,195 |
| Portugal | 1 | 1:10,418,241 | 25,048 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1:3,550,139 | 9,109 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 | 1:112,659 | 1,704 |
| Senegal | 1 | 1:14,579,342 | 11,705 |
| Serbia | 1 | 1:7,144,948 | 38,459 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 6 | 1:738,311 | 21,113 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 67 | 1:363,811 | 22,769 |
| Guernsey | 1 | 1:32,656 | 2,283 |
| Wales | 1 | 1:1,568,416 | 19,290 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 4,988 | 1:10,068 | 1,299 |
The alternate forms: Schäffer (10,638) & Scháffer (18) are calculated separately.
Schaffer (73) may also be a first name.
Schaffer Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
(Ger.) Shepherd [Ger. schäfer; from (with agential suff. -er) schaf, Middle High German schâf, O.H.Ger. scâf, a sheep]
(German) One who took care of sheep, a shepherd.
(from a personal characteristic) Yiddish for “administrator.” A name taken by a gabbai, a leader in the community.
(Dutch.) He that dishes up or provides victuals. Shaffer, German, a shepherd, a pastor, a swain.
User-submitted Reference
Schaeffer is the English version of the German surname, "Schäffer. The german "ä" could also being written as "ae". It has the same meaning and is often used when "ä" is not available. The name was a job title by the "Deutscher Orden" for members who where responsible for trading in the "Deutschordensstaat".(Ger) Schäffer = (Eng) Schaeffer = (Eng) Shaeffer But: (Ger) Schäfer = (Eng) Shepard
- anonymous submissionThe surname originally came from Germany, a slight misspelling of the last name, schäfer, meaning 'shepard'.
- senikaIn Brazil, the surname Schäfer was changed to Schaefer.
- brupaeseSchaffer Demographics
Average Schaffer Salary in
United States
$45,709 USD
Per year
Average Salary in
United States
$43,149 USD
Per year
View the highest/lowest earning families in The United States
Schaffer Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Schaffer Come From? nationality or country of origin
The last name Schaffer occurs more in The United States more than any other country/territory. It may occur as a variant: Schäffer or Scháffer. Click here for further possible spellings of this last name.
How Common Is The Last Name Schaffer? popularity and diffusion
The surname is the 11,942nd most frequently used last name worldwide, held by approximately 1 in 154,985 people. This surname is predominantly found in The Americas, where 60 percent of Schaffer reside; 53 percent reside in North America and 52 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Schaffer is also the 1,134,117th most frequently occurring first name throughout the world, borne by 73 people.
The surname Schaffer is most commonly used in The United States, where it is carried by 29,849 people, or 1 in 12,143. In The United States it is primarily found in: California, where 9 percent reside, Ohio, where 6 percent reside and Florida, where 5 percent reside. Excluding The United States it exists in 75 countries. It is also found in Germany, where 13 percent reside and Austria, where 7 percent reside.
Schaffer Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The frequency of Schaffer has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the Schaffer surname rose 598 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it rose 476 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it rose 2,800 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 83 percent between 1901 and 2014.
Schaffer Last Name Statistics demography
The religious adherence of those bearing the Schaffer surname is predominantly Jewish (100%) in Ireland.
In The United States Schaffer are 13.88% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 60.65% registered to vote for the political party.
The amount Schaffer earn in different countries varies greatly. In Peru they earn 47.25% more than the national average, earning S/. 28,544 per year; in South Africa they earn 124.55% more than the national average, earning R 533,616 per year; in United States they earn 5.93% more than the national average, earning $45,709 USD per year and in Canada they earn 6.5% more than the national average, earning $52,910 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
Search for Another Surname
Schaffer Reference & Research
Shaffer DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.
Shaffer FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Schaffer
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis