History of your Surname
Get access to Shafer family records.Start a free trial

Shafer Family History

Shafer Name Meaning

Americanized form of German Schäfer (see Schaefer ) Schäffer (see Schaffer ) or Schaffer Americanized form of Hungarian Sáfár Slovenian and Croatian Šafar or Šafer Czech Šafář or Šafer Slovak Šafár in part cognates of names in 1 above (see Safar ). Compare Shaffer

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


Similar surnames: Shaffer, Shaefer, Shader, Shaner, Shaver, Schafer, Shafter, Schaffer

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Shafer family from?

You can see how Shafer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Shafer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Shafer families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 257 Shafer families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 34% of all the recorded Shafer's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Shafer families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Shafer surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Shafer ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Shafer. 18% of Shafer men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Shafer women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Shafer were Truck Driver and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Shafer | 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
    18%
  • Laborer
    14%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    9%
  • Housekeeper
    8%
  • Stenographer
    6%
  • Teacher
    6%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Shafer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 156,000 census records available for the last name Shafer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Shafer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Shafer

Passenger Lists

There are 6,000 immigration records available for the last name Shafer. 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 Shafer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 27,000 military records available for the last name Shafer. For the veterans among your Shafer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Shafer military records

You've only scratched the surface of Shafer family history

Discover More

What is the average Shafer lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Shafer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1986. The average life expectancy for Shafer in 1941 was 35, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Shafer

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Shafer family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Shafer last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial