Shafer
Schaefer is an alternative spelling and cognate for the German word schäfer, meaning 'shepherd', which itself descends from the Old High German scāphare. Variants "Shaefer", "Schäfer", the additional alternative spelling "Schäffer", and the anglicised forms "Schaeffer", "Schaffer", "Shaffer", "Shafer", and "Schafer" are all common surnames.
Meaning & Origin of Shafer
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Schaefer is an alternative spelling and cognate for the German word schäfer, meaning 'shepherd', which itself descends from the Old High German scāphare. Variants "Shaefer", "Schäfer", the additional alternative spelling "Schäffer", and the anglicised forms "Schaeffer", "Schaffer", "Shaffer", "Shafer", and "Schafer" are all common surnames.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Shafer
The earliest SSA record of Shafer as a baby boy name dates back to 1990, when 7 babies received it. 1994 was its biggest year on record, with 11 newborns named Shafer — #5,109 in the national rankings. About 38% of every Shafer on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Shafer last appeared in the published SSA data in 2018, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 125 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Where is Shafer most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- United States78%
- SA9%
- AM6%
- KW4%
- Canada4%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Shafer
Phonetically similar names — useful when Shafer 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 Shafer
What does the name Shafer mean?
How popular is Shafer in 2026?
When was Shafer most popular?
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What names go well with Shafer?
About the name Shafer
Shafer is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1990 and has accumulated 125 births in the dataset. Shafer's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #5,109. Use the chart and map above to compare Shafer'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 →
- Names starting with "S" →
- Browse all boy names →
- 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.