Explore the Family Name Shafter
The meaning of Shafter
1. Americanized form of German Schaffter. 2. German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Schaffter. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Ber, Mort.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Shafter in the United States?
Based on the decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Shafter experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 79,676th most common surname, but by 2010, its rank had dropped to 82,613. Despite this drop in ranking, the number of individuals with this surname actually increased from 222 to 228 during this period. The proportion per 100,000 people remained steady at 0.08.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #79,676 | #82,613 | -3.69% |
| Count | 222 | 228 | 2.7% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shafter
Regarding ethnicity, the census data indicates a small change in the ethnic identity of individuals bearing the Shafter surname. According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority identified as White, with 86.49% in 2000 and 83.33% in 2010. However, there was a slight increase in those identifying as Black, up from 10.36% in 2000 to 10.96% in 2010. Notably, there was an emergence of individuals identifying with two or more races in 2010, representing 3.07% of Shafters. For other ethnicities such as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaskan Native, the data was either suppressed or registered no change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.49% | 83.33% | -3.65% |
| Black | 10.36% | 10.96% | 5.79% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 3.07% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |