2000
#773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.07
Uncommon Last name
Schaefer
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or sheep herder, derived from the German word "Schäfer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 45,212 Americans carry the last name Schaefer. That puts it at #857 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,581 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaefer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Schaefer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,581
Census rank
#857
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,427 bearers of the surname Schaefer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 857th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaefer
The surname Schaefer originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the German word "Schäfer," which translates to "shepherd" or "sheepherder." This name was given to individuals who worked as shepherds, tending to flocks of sheep, a common occupation in rural areas during that time.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Schaefer can be traced back to the 13th century. One notable example is found in the Württembergisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the region of Württemberg, Germany, which mentions a "Cunradus dictus Schaefer" (Conrad called Schaefer) in 1285.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, such as the Stadtbücher (city books) of Cologne, where a "Johannes Schaefer" was documented in 1368. The name also appeared in the Bürgeraufnahmen (citizen registrations) of Frankfurt am Main, where a "Heincze Schaefer" was recorded in 1387.
The surname Schaefer has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One prominent figure was Johann Valentin Schaefer (1687-1746), a German painter and engraver known for his landscape paintings and etchings. Another notable Schaefer was Johann Wilhelm Schaefer (1718-1790), a German composer and organist who served as the court organist in Copenhagen.
In the 19th century, Karl Schaefer (1844-1908) was a German architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Reichstag building in Berlin. Another Schaefer of note was Theodor Schaefer (1846-1910), a German explorer and naturalist who conducted expeditions in West Africa and published works on the flora and fauna of the region.
The name Schaefer has also been found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Schaeferhof (shepherd's farm) and Schaeferberg (shepherd's mountain), reflecting the occupational origins of the surname.
While the spelling "Schaefer" is the most common form in German, variations in spelling have existed, including Schäfer, Schefer, and Sheffer, among others. These spelling variations often occurred due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation and record-keeping practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaefer
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaefer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Schaefer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 36,496
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,176
- Two or more races2.9% · 1,151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 325
- Black or African American0.5% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 87
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaefer
Schaefer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#841
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,063
+400 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 13.92
Rank movement Down 68 places
2020
#857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,427
-1,636 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 13.19
Rank movement Down 16 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #773 | 40,663 | 15.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #841 | 41,063 | 13.92 | +400 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 68 places |
| 2020 | #857 | 39,427 | 13.19 | -1,636 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 16 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Schaefer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #841 | #857 | -1.9% |
| Count | 41,063 | 39,427 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 13.92 | 13.19 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaefer bearers went from 41,063 to 39,427 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 16 positions in the national ranking, going from #841 to #857.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schaefer
FAQ
Schaefer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaefer?
Name Census estimates that about 45,212 living Americans carry the surname Schaefer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,581 residents.
How common is Schaefer?
Schaefer ranks #857 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,427 people with the surname Schaefer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (45,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Schaefer.
Has Schaefer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaefer went from 41,063 recorded bearers to 39,427. That is a decrease of 1,636 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #841 to #857.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaefer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaefer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Schaefer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (36,496 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaefer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Schaefer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Schaefer mean?
An occupational surname referring to a shepherd or sheep herder, derived from the German word "Schäfer." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Schaefer (13.19 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Schaefer?
Want to know how many people are called Schaefer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.