German: from Middle High German schif ‘ship’, applied as
a metonymic occupational name for a sailor, or a habitational name for
someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a ship.
Jewish (Ashkenazic): ornamental name or habitational name
(see 1 above), from German Schiff ‘ship’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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