The Shaffer surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 59,943 people carried this name — #560 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,920 people counted. That is up 1% from 59,227 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Shaffer surname

A surname, variant of Schaefer.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Shaffer» (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 57 people named Shaffer 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 Córdoba.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Córdoba 41
Buenos Aires Province 16

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In print

Shaffer in American newspapers,
1875–1901.

Newspaper page from Helena Weekly Herald carrying the name Shaffer
Helena Weekly Herald 1875-05-20
Newspaper page from The Portland Daily Press carrying the name Shaffer
The Portland Daily Press 1895-08-07
Newspaper page from The Lancaster Gazette carrying the name Shaffer
The Lancaster Gazette 1901-08-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 236,543 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Shaffer in Australian newspapers,
1850s–1980s.

677 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shaffer. The most, 274, date from the 1900s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 249
Queensland 158
Victoria 78
Western Australia 72
South Australia 66
Tasmania 24
ACT (Canberra) 21

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Shaffer.

Who carried it

People named Shaffer,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Shaffer
    John Shaffer 1827–1870 · businessperson
  • Newton Melman Shaffer
    Newton Melman Shaffer 1846–1928 · surgeon
  • Anne Childs Shaffer
    Anne Childs Shaffer 1850–1934
  • John H. Shaffer
    John H. Shaffer 1919–1997
  • Peter Shaffer
    Peter Shaffer 1926–2016 · screenwriter

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 119 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Shaffer,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,077 records

4,077 records of the Shaffer name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,252
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 779
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 527
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 256
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 150
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 88
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 15
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 9
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jack Leon Shaffer

    Born 1941; from Arcola, Illinois. U.S. Marine Corps, assault amphibious vehicle crewman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Charles E. Shaffer

    Born 1923 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Tulsa; farmer from Cherokee County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1965, buried at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Katharina Shaffer

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Arizona from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 43; matron. From New York, Germany; bound for Chicago.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,077 records for Shaffer in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada81 records

81 records of the Shaffer name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 76
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Alfred Shaffer

    Died 1871 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William L. Shaffer

    Buried in 1963 at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Thomas Winfield Shaffer

    Died in service in 1941.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 81 records for Shaffer in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia7 records

7 records of the Shaffer name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 6
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sylvia May Shaffer

    Business person of Caulfield South, Victoria; died 1996.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Louis Shaffer

    Arrived in Victoria in 1889 aboard the Orient, aged 30.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record C. S. Shaffer

    Arrived in Victoria in 1883 aboard the Eildenhope, aged 24.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Shaffer in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Shaffer name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Anna Maria Hendrna Shäffer

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1882 in Amst.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Johan Carl Christiaan Shäffer

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1800 in Amst.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Georgina Sophia Bernadina Shäffer

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1856 in Amst.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Shaffer in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Shaffer.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Shaffer 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.

See the Shaffer volume
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