Surname Shafe - Meaning and Origin

Shafe: What does the surname Shafe mean?

The surname Shafe is of English and Irish origin, and is thought to be an amalgamation of two separate names. The first is Sceaf, a Middle English word meaning "sheaf". The second is possibly a reduced form of a Slavic name Shafar, which itself could be derived from the Hebrew shaphar, meaning "hawk".

In England, the surname Shafe is most common in Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, and Yorkshire. In Ireland, it most often appears in County Cork. It is also found in Scotland, particularly near the borders with England and Ireland, where it is relationships to the surname Shann or Shaan in many cases.

The Shafe name is associated with a variety of professions, ranging from shepherds and farmers to blacksmiths and merchants. In some cases, it may have started off as the occupational name for a person who worked with bundles of grain or hay, a practice in common at the time.

Throughout its history, the surname has seen a variety of spelling variations, with Shaf, Shafe, Shaff, Shaun, Shaan, and Schaf all in common usage. In modern times, the surname Shafe is mostly found in English-speaking countries.

Shafe: Where does the name Shafe come from?

The last name Shafe is most commonly found today in the United States, particularly in regions with large populations of descendants of German immigrants. It is also scattered throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland and can be found in smaller numbers in other parts of the world.

The name Shafe is thought to have originated from a variety of Middle High German words meaning “safety, protection”. It appears that it was an occupational name given to someone involved in protecting and guarding the homes and lands of others. The name is often found in land records and other documents in the German states dating as far back as the 1300s.

Immigrants with the name Shafe are believed to have arrived in the United States during the 1800s. The majority of those immigrants settled in various parts of the Midwest, particularly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.

Today, the last name Shafe can be found in records in the United States Census and throughout public records. For those who are descendants of immigrants with the last name Shafe, there are a variety of genealogy websites that offer resources to help individuals trace their family’s origins and history.

Variations of the surname Shafe

The surname Shafe is derived from an old English word, “scataf”, meaning “a shallow pool of water”. This surname is primarily found in the British Isles. Various spellings, variants, and surnames of the same origin for the surname Shafe include: Shaff, Schaaf, Shaffe, Shaaf, Shaf, Schoff, Schaff, Schafe, Schaffee, Shoff, Scholla, Shaffee, Shoffe, Schofe, Schoffee, Schoffey, Shoffey, Shoffay, and Schofay.

Schaff is the most commonly used variant of Shafe and is primarily found in Germany. The variant Schafe is used as an occupational surname meaning “shepherd” in German.

Shaff is a variant spelling of Shafe found in England and Scotland. This variant is derived from the Old English words, “scataf” and “scatta”, meaning “a shallow pool of water”. Shaffe is a Norman variant of the name, found primarily in Jersey, an island in the English Channel.

Shaf is an English variant of the name and is derived from the Old English words, “scataf” and “scatta”, meaning “a shallow pool of water”. Schoff is another variant of Shafe found in Germany. The variants Schaffee, Shoff, Shoffe and Schofe are all derived from the Old German word “schoff”, meaning “spouter” or “sharer”.

The surname Shoffey is derived from the Old English word “scafe”, meaning “a shallow pool of water”. The spelling Shoffay is derived from the Old English “scafege”, meaning the same thing. Schofay is derived from the NFriesian dialect word “saf” meaning “pool”. These variants can be found primarily in the British Isles.

Famous people with the name Shafe

• Jack Shafer: Political journalist and media critic
• Landon Shafer: Social media influencer
• Dr. Allen Shafer: Retired cardiologist
• Dan Shafer: Internet entrepreneur
• Jack Shafer: Comedian and actor
• Stanley Shafer: Jazz musician
• Rudolph Shafer: Author and minister
• Karl Shafer: Screenwriter and playwright
• Richard Shafer: Race car driver
• Emile Shafer: Renowned pianist
• Gary Shafer: College football coach
• Steven Shafer: Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist
• Phil Shafer: Award-winning sports writer
• Stephen Shafer: Famous architect
• Jeffrey Shafer: Former Goldman Sachs banker and treasury official
• Tom Shafer: Business executive and C-suite coach
• Brad Shafer: Broadway producer
• Michael Shafer: Film director, producer, and actor
• Jim Shafer: Motivational speaker and former U.S. Navy pilot
• Sue Shafer: Popular author and astronomer

Other surnames

ShaferShaffShaffer