2000
#8,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Sheffer
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "shefer," meaning "shepherd" or "sheep shearer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,952 Americans carry the last name Sheffer. That puts it at #9,112 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sheffer 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
4.0K
1 in 86,729
Census rank
#9,112
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,446 bearers of the surname Sheffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9112th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sheffer
The surname SHEFFER originates from Germany, where it first appeared as an occupational name in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "scheffel," meaning a unit of dry measure, and is an occupational name for a corn measurer or dealer.
In medieval Germany, corn was a valuable commodity, and those involved in its measurement and trade held important roles. The earliest known bearers of the name were likely engaged in this occupation, which lent their family the distinctive surname.
The SHEFFER name can be found in various historical records from German-speaking regions, such as church registers, tax rolls, and municipal documents. One notable early reference is in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a world history published in 1493, which mentions a certain Johann SHEFFER among the citizens of that city.
The earliest recorded example of the SHEFFER surname dates back to 1289, when a Heinricus Scheffler was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne. Other early spellings include Scheffler, Scheffelaer, and Scheffeler, reflecting regional variations in dialect and orthography.
Over the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the SHEFFER surname. One of the earliest was Hans SHEFFER (c. 1480-1541), a German painter and woodcarver active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance. His intricate altarpieces and religious artwork can still be found in churches across Bavaria.
In the 17th century, Johann SHEFFER (1624-1677) was a renowned German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion, and his works were widely read throughout Europe.
During the 19th century, the SHEFFER name gained prominence in the United States, where many German immigrants had settled. One notable American bearer was John SHEFFER (1834-1909), a Union Army officer who fought in the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman in Pennsylvania.
Another influential figure was Henry Moore SHEFFER (1883-1964), an American logician and mathematician. He is best known for introducing the SHEFFER stroke, a logical operation that bears his name, and for his work in the field of symbolic logic.
More recently, the SHEFFER surname has been carried by individuals such as Horst SHEFFER (1920-2005), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist, and Jodie SHEFFER (b. 1978), an American actress and producer known for her work in independent films.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sheffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sheffer 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 Sheffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 3,202
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 92
- Two or more races2.5% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 41
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sheffer
Sheffer 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
#8,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,692
+102 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 420 places
2020
#9,112
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,446
-246 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,450 | 3,590 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,870 | 3,692 | 1.25 | +102 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 420 places |
| 2020 | #9,112 | 3,446 | 1.15 | -246 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 242 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 Sheffer 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 | #8,870 | #9,112 | -2.7% |
| Count | 3,692 | 3,446 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.15 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sheffer bearers went from 3,692 to 3,446 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 242 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,870 to #9,112.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Sheffer
FAQ
Sheffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sheffer?
Name Census estimates that about 3,952 living Americans carry the surname Sheffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,729 residents.
How common is Sheffer?
Sheffer ranks #9,112 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,446 people with the surname Sheffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Sheffer.
Has Sheffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sheffer went from 3,692 recorded bearers to 3,446. That is a decrease of 246 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,870 to #9,112.
What does the Census say about the background of Sheffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sheffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sheffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,202 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sheffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Sheffer (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 Sheffer mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "shefer," meaning "shepherd" or "sheep shearer." 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 Sheffer (1.15 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 Sheffer?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Sheffer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.