Sheaffer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The distinguished surname Sheaffer is German in origin. It is derived from the Middle High German term "schaffaere," which referred to a shepherd, one who took care of sheep. ^[1] Alternatively, the name could have been derived from an German occupational name for someone "who made casks and barrels, a cooper." ^[2]

Early Origins of the Sheaffer family

The surname Sheaffer was first found in Hessen, where the name was closely identified in early medieval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs.

Early History of the Sheaffer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sheaffer research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1569, 1813, 1787, 1425, 1503, 1451, 1624, 1677, 1653, 1699 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Sheaffer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheaffer Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Schaeffers, Schaefer, Scheaffer, Schaefers, Schaffer, Schafer, Shaeffer, Schefer, Shaefer and many more.

Early Notables of the Sheaffer family (pre 1700)

Prominent figures of the time who bore the name Sheaffer were Peter Schöffer (c.1425-c.1503), an early German printer, and worked as a manuscript copyist in 1451. Angelus Silesius or Johann Angelus Silesius (1624-1677), born Johann Scheffler, was a German Catholic priest and physician. He was known as a mystic and religious poet, born and raised a Lutheran. In 1653, he adopted the name Angelus (Latin for "angel" or "heavenly messenger") and the epithet Silesius ("Silesian") and converted to Catholicism. As a convert and priest, he tried to convince German Protestants...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sheaffer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sheaffer Ranking

In the United States, the name Sheaffer is the 14,183^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. ^[3]

Sheaffer migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sheaffer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Frederick Sheaffer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1773 ^[4]
Henrich Sheaffer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1789 ^[4]

Sheaffer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Sheaffer, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1815 ^[4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Sheaffer (post 1700) +

Charles Miller Sheaffer Jr. (1904-1989), American bronze medalist field hockey player at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Walter A. Sheaffer (1867-1946), American businessman, founder of the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company 1913 and inventor of the first commercially successful lever-filling fountain pen
Danny Todd Sheaffer (b. 1961), American Major League Baseball catcher and third baseman, active from 1987 to 1997
Robert Sheaffer (b. 1949), American freelance writer and a prominent investigator of unidentified flying objects

Citations +

^ Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
^ Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
^ https://namecensus.com/most_common_surnames.htm
^ Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)