Schaeffer
Schaeffer is a German surname. It is a variant of Schaefer, from German word schäfer ("shepherd") and of Schaffer, from a noun derived from Middle High German schaffen.
Meaning & Origin of Schaeffer
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Schaeffer is a German surname. It is a variant of Schaefer, from German word schäfer ("shepherd") and of Schaffer, from a noun derived from Middle High German schaffen.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Schaeffer
American parents first put Schaeffer on the record books as a baby boy name in 1994, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1994, when 6 Schaeffers were born — ranking #7,770 that year. About 67% of every Schaeffer on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. Schaeffer last appeared in the published SSA data in 2014, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 18 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Schaeffer
Phonetically similar names — useful when Schaeffer is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Schaeffer
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About the name Schaeffer
Schaeffer is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1994 and has accumulated 18 births in the dataset. Schaeffer's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #7,770. Use the chart and map above to compare Schaeffer's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1994 →
- Names of the 1990s →
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- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.