Shaffer
A surname most likely meaning “shepherd” or a related occupational name, with Germanic and Dutch forms.
The #560 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,151 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Shaffer is generally treated as a Germanic occupational surname. Historical writers connected it with German and Dutch words for a shepherd or livestock keeper, and some also related it to a provider of food or provisions. The spelling has several regional forms, including Schaffer and Schaeffer, which reflect the same broad family of names.
History
The name appears in German-speaking and Dutch-speaking areas and later spread widely through immigration to English-speaking countries, especially the United States. In older surname lists it is often grouped with names of German origin rather than analyzed as an English word-name. Modern American usage usually reflects later spelling simplification from forms beginning with Sch-.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The spelling Shaffer often represents an anglicized version of older Sch- forms, so two families with the same modern spelling may have arrived from different original spellings.
From the historical record
“SCHAFFER. (Dutch.) He that dishes up or provides vic- tuals. Shaffer, G-erman, a shepherd, a pastor, a swain. SCHELL. (Old English.) A spring. SCHELLDEN. (Old English.) The spring in the valley, from schell, a spring, and dene, a valley. SkeU is also a well, in”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names