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Scharf Family History

Scharf Name Meaning

South German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for an energetic active person from Middle High German scharf scharpf and German scharf ‘sharp-cutting’. For Jews it can also come from the Yiddish adjective sharf with the same meaning. Compare Sarff Sharf and Sharp .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Scherf, Sharf, Schaaf, Schaff, Schorr, Schwarm, Schlaff, Schatz

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Scharf family from?

You can see how Scharf families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Scharf family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Scharf families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 4 Scharf families living in Maryland. This was about 80% of all the recorded Scharf's in USA. Maryland had the highest population of Scharf families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Scharf surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Scharf ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Scharf. 13% of Scharf men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Scharf women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Scharf were Proprietor and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Scharf | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    13%
  • Salesman
    12%
  • Laborer
    9%
  • Proprietor
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    7%
  • Saleslady
    7%
  • Bookkeeper
    7%
  • Teacher
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Scharf family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 24,000 census records available for the last name Scharf. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Scharf census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Scharf

Passenger Lists

There are 27,000 immigration records available for the last name Scharf. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Scharf immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Scharf. For the veterans among your Scharf ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Scharf military records

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What is the average Scharf lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Scharf life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Scharf in 1942 was 46, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Scharf

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