Explore the Family Name Gaffner

The meaning of Gaffner

Swiss German: topographic name, found mainly in the Valais canton, denoting someone who lived in an Alpine hut or shelter, from Romansh Gafene ‘large basket, Alpine dairy hut’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Gaffner in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Gaffner experienced a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Gaffner was the 74,675th most popular surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had dropped to the 78,316th spot – a change of -4.88%. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname saw an increase, rising from 241 in 2000 to 244 in 2010, an approximate increase of 1.24%. The proportion of individuals named Gaffner per 100,000 people also slightly decreased from 0.09 to 0.08 during this period.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#74,675	#78,316	-4.88%
Count	241	244	1.24%
Proportion per 100k	0.09	0.08	-11.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gaffner

When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Gaffner, it's clear that the vast majority of individuals are classified as White. According to the Decennial U.S. Census, in both 2000 and 2010, over 98% of those with the Gaffner surname identified as White, with a negligible change of 0.02% over the decade. There were no recorded instances of individuals with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or belonging to two or more races. This indicates a significant lack of diversity among those carrying the Gaffner surname in the United States.

	2000	2010	Change
White	98.34%	98.36%	0.02%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	0%	0%	0%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%