Last Names

Surnames / S

Shaeffer

How common is the last name Shaeffer?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for Shaeffer, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Similar spellings

Names nearby in the census

#12,944

Shaeffer was the 12,944th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 2,373 people, about 0.8 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)95.1%
  • Hispanic or Latino2.1%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)0.8%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander0.5%
  • Two or more races1.1%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.4%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.