The Schaaf surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,375 people carried this name — #6,342 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 54,900 people counted. That is up 1% from 5,317 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Schaaf surname
From the German surname, from Schafe (“sheep”). Also compare Schaap.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Schaaf» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 336 people named Schaaf live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Entre Ríos.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 276 people named Schaaf.
24 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 21 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
110 people named Schaaf live in Switzerland.
They live in 8 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
43 people named Schaaf are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Schaaf in American newspapers,
1891–1929.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 17,128 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Schaaf,
with a public archive behind them.
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Carolus Schaaf 1646–1729 · university teacher -
Anton Schaaf 1688–1746
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Franz Schaaf 1758–1821 · mayor
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Friedrich Theodor Schaaf 1792–1876 · jurist
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Carl Heinrich Schaaf 1827–1904 · pastor
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Adam Schaaf 1849–1902 · factory owner
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Schaaf.
- Scarfone 444 · U.S. census
- Scarpa 1,685 · U.S. census
- Scatena 468 · U.S. census
- Schaab 670 · U.S. census
- Schaack 356 · U.S. census
- Schaad 1,209 · U.S. census
- Schaaff 136 · U.S. census
- Schaal 1,984 · U.S. census
- Schacher 889 · U.S. census
- Schacherer 218 · U.S. census
- Schade 3,958 · U.S. census
- Schaefer 41,063 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Schaaf is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.