Explore the Family Name Shaefer
The meaning of Shaefer
Americanized form of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Schaefer ‘shepherd’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shaefer in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Shaefer has seen a downward trend between 2000 and 2010. Ranked 39,617th in 2000, the name slipped to the 45,569th position in 2010, reflecting a decline of 15.02%. The count of individuals with this surname also dropped from 522 in 2000 to 469 in 2010, marking a decrease of 10.15%. Similarly, the proportion of Shaefer per 100,000 people fell by 15.79% from 0.19 in 2000 to 0.16 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #39,617 | #45,569 | -15.02% |
| Count | 522 | 469 | -10.15% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.19 | 0.16 | -15.79% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shaefer
In terms of ethnicity, the distribution of the surname Shaefer changed slightly in the span of a decade, as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the vast majority of Schaefers were of White ethnicity, at 95.40%, which declined slightly to 93.60% in 2010. There was a notable increase in the Hispanic representation among Schaefers, going up by 43.28% from 1.34% in 2000 to 1.92% in 2010. Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native communities began to appear in the Shaefer surname records by 2010, accounting for 1.49% and 1.28% respectively. However, the number of individuals identifying as two or more races dropped to zero in 2010 from 1.34% in 2000. No Black individuals with the Shaefer surname were recorded in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.4% | 93.6% | -1.89% |
| Hispanic | 1.34% | 1.92% | 43.28% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.49% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 1.28% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.34% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |