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Chaffer Family History

Chaffer Name Meaning

English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): occupational name from Middle English chaffer(e) chaffare ‘traffic trade; merchandise wares’ (Old English cēapfaru) presumably denoting a dealer or merchant. Alternatively the name may perhaps be a variant of Chafer an occupational name from Old French chauffour ‘limekiln worker at a limekiln’.

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


Similar surnames: Schaffer, Haffer, Chaffee, Chaffey, Shaffer, Huffer, Schiffer, Hafner

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Chaffer family from?

You can see how Chaffer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Chaffer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Chaffer families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 8 Chaffer families living in Vermont. This was about 30% of all the recorded Chaffer's in USA. Vermont had the highest population of Chaffer families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Chaffer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Chaffer ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Chaffer. 25% of Chaffer men worked as a Laborer and 17% of Chaffer women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Chaffer were Truck Driver and Stenographer. .

View Census Data for Chaffer | 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

  • Laborer
    25%
  • Farmer
    21%
  • Salesman
    9%
  • Truck Driver
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    17%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Teacher
    10%
  • Stenographer
    8%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Chaffer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 21,000 census records available for the last name Chaffer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Chaffer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Chaffer

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Chaffer. 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 Chaffer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Chaffer. For the veterans among your Chaffer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Chaffer military records

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What is the average Chaffer lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Chaffer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1970, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Chaffer in 1957 was 55, and 88 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Chaffer

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