Schaefer
A German occupational surname meaning “shepherd” or “sheep-herder.”
The #841 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 7,519 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schaefer is the German occupational surname for a shepherd, from German Schaf, meaning “sheep,” plus the agentive suffix -er, “one who works with.” The older forms in the historical sources point back to Middle High German and Old High German spellings for the same idea: a person who tends sheep. The surname therefore began as a job-name rather than a place-name or nickname.
History
The surname is common in German-speaking areas and was carried into other countries through migration, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. English-language records often preserve the umlaut-free spelling Schaefer, alongside variants such as Schäfer, Schaffer, and Schaeffer. The name remains strongly associated with German ancestry.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because German spelling often replaces ä with ae, Schaefer and Schäfer are usually the same surname in different spellings.
From the historical record
“SCHAEFER SCHAEFFER SCHAFER SCHAFFER Morose [M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. jdr] (Ger.) Shepherd [Ger. schdfer;- f. (with agent, suff. -er) schaf,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)