Sheffer
A surname usually linked to an occupational name for a shepherd or sheep-keeper, especially in German and English-speaking settings.
The #8,870 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,626 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Sheffer is generally treated as a spelling variant of surnames built on words for a shepherd or sheep-keeper. In English, it can reflect Middle English forms related to "shepherd"; in German and Yiddish contexts, it may be influenced by words connected with tending sheep or by variant spellings of similar-sounding occupational names. The surname’s exact derivation can vary by family line, since similar spellings arose independently in more than one language.
History
The name appears in records in several English-speaking and Germanic communities, often with spelling variation such as Shaffer, Schaeffer, or Schäfer. In North America, many Sheffer families descend from immigrants whose surnames were adapted to English spelling, while others may have developed from local English forms. Because the spelling is relatively uncommon, a given family’s origin usually depends on its earliest known records and ethnic background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same broad surname family can reflect either an English shepherd-name or a German Schäfer-type name, which makes documentary family history especially important for this spelling.