2000
#8,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,813
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Schaffner
An occupational surname referring to a steward, manager, or treasurer, derived from the German word "Schaffner."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,380 Americans carry the last name Schaffner. That puts it at #8,305 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Schaffner 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.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,254
Census rank
#8,305
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,820 bearers of the surname Schaffner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8305th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Schaffner
The surname Schaffner has its origins in the German language, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "Schaffer," which originally referred to a steward or overseer of a household or estate. This occupation-based surname would have been given to individuals who held such positions.
The Schaffner surname can be traced back to various regions within modern-day Germany, with concentrations found in areas like Bavaria, Saxony, and Swabia. It is believed that the name first emerged in the 12th or 13th century, as the practice of adopting hereditary surnames became more widespread among the Germanic populations.
Historical records from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period occasionally mention individuals bearing the Schaffner name. One notable example is Johannes Schaffner, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived in the 15th century (c. 1435-1508). Another early mention of the surname can be found in the Nürnberger Hausbücher, a collection of records from the city of Nuremberg, which includes references to Schaffner families in the 16th century.
As the Schaffner surname spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Schaffner, Schaffner, and Schäffner. These variations often reflected local dialects and linguistic influences. Additionally, the surname became associated with certain place names, such as Schaffnerhof or Schaffnerdorf, which likely indicated the presence of Schaffner families in those locations.
Among notable individuals who bore the Schaffner surname, one can mention Johann Michael Schaffner (1707-1764), a German composer and organist active in the Baroque period. Another prominent figure was Johann Friedrich Schaffner (1825-1903), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in Chicago, including the Chicago Board of Trade Building.
Other individuals of note include Karl Schaffner (1851-1907), a German-American architect and engineer responsible for designing several bridges and buildings in New York City, and Emilie Schaffner (1845-1929), a Swiss painter and illustrator known for her portraiture and landscapes.
The Schaffner surname has a rich history that can be traced back to the Middle Ages in German-speaking regions, where it originated as an occupational name. Over the centuries, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, architects, and tradespeople, contributing to the cultural tapestry of Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Schaffner
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Schaffner 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 Schaffner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,523
- Two or more races3.5% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 38
- Black or African American0.7% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Schaffner
Schaffner 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
#8,415
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,927
+114 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 390 places
2020
#8,305
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,820
-107 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,025 | 3,813 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,415 | 3,927 | 1.33 | +114 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 390 places |
| 2020 | #8,305 | 3,820 | 1.28 | -107 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 110 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 Schaffner 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 | #8,415 | #8,305 | 1.3% |
| Count | 3,927 | 3,820 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.28 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Schaffner bearers went from 3,927 to 3,820 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,415 to #8,305.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Schaffner
FAQ
Schaffner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Schaffner?
Name Census estimates that about 4,380 living Americans carry the surname Schaffner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,254 residents.
How common is Schaffner?
Schaffner ranks #8,305 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,820 people with the surname Schaffner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,380), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Schaffner.
Has Schaffner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Schaffner went from 3,927 recorded bearers to 3,820. That is a decrease of 107 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,415 to #8,305.
What does the Census say about the background of Schaffner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Schaffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Schaffner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,523 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Schaffner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Schaffner (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 Schaffner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a steward, manager, or treasurer, derived from the German word "Schaffner." 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 Schaffner (1.28 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 many Americans have the surname Schaffner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.