Surname Scheefer - Meaning and Origin
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Scheefer: What does the surname Scheefer mean?
The last name Scheefer is of German origin and is derived from the Middle High German word “schifre” or “schifer” meaning a person who was employed as an official or a nobleman. It is mostly found in the regions that were once part of the medieval Holy Roman Empire, such as what is today Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and the Czech Republic.
Originally, the name meant “man of authority,” and for centuries it was used to refer to influential families in the area. Today, individuals with the surname Scheefer come from all walks of life.
The Scheefer surname is very common. It is consistently one of the top one hundred most frequently found German last names, according to recent records. It is also common in other Central European countries, as well as in France, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Interestingly, the name Scheefer is currently most common in North America. It has become especially popular among German-speaking immigrants to the United States and Canada in the 19th and 20th centuries, creating a large population of Scheefers in the United States and Canada today.
The name Scheefer continues to carry with it many of its original connotations. People with this surname are often respected and seen as part of an old and noble family lineage by many its current and past bearers.
Order DNA origin analysisScheefer: Where does the name Scheefer come from?
The last name Scheefer is a German surname mainly found in areas in Europe that had a significant presence of Germanic culture and language. Today, it is most commonly found in Germany, which is home to the largest population of people bearing the surname Scheefer. It is also found in countries in Central and Eastern Europe that were once part of the German-speaking world like Austria, Switzerland and parts of Belgium. In other parts of Europe, this name can be more rarely encountered in places like Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden.
Outside of Europe, the last name Scheefer is much less common, however. It can be mostly found in countries that have experienced a significant wave of German immigration in the past, such as the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, and Chile. In these countries, there will likely be clusters of people with the surname Scheefer in areas where previous German immigrants settled, like Pennsylvania in the case of the United States.
Given its German origin, the last name Scheefer is pronounced differently in various regions. In countries where the surname is more common, like Germany, it is pronounced roughly like "Sheh-fehr" or "Sha-fehr". In other parts of the world, particularly the Anglophone countries, it is usually pronounced "Shee-fer" or "Shay-fer".
Variations of the surname Scheefer
The surname Scheefer is a German and Jewish variant of the surname Schäfer, which originates from the word for a shepherd or someone who takes care of sheep. This surname was originally an occupational surname for a person who held such a role, and as such, there are a variety of alternate spellings and one hyphenated form of the name.
One variant of the surname Scheefer is Schaefer, which is the most common English spelling of the name. This spelling can also be found in other languages such as Dutch, Finnish and Danish. It is sometimes written with the umlaut letter ä, or the double letter ee, which is more commonly seen in German.
The hyphenated form of the surname is Schäfer-Scheefer, which is common in Jewish families due to the custom of combining a person’s surname and mother’s maiden name. The surname is occasionally written as Schaeffer, or Schäffer, which are also common variations of the name.
Other variants of the surname Scheefer include Schafer, Shefer, Shafer, Sheaffer, Shafar, Shaffer, Skaefer, Skeffer, Skeffer, Skiiffer, Schieffer, Schifers, Schijfers, Schoefer and many other variations and phonetic spellings.
The surname Scheefer may also be found in other languages, such as Czech, where it is written as Šeufer, or Slovene where it is written as Šefer.
Overall, there are many variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for the surname Scheefer, most of which vary based on the language that they are written in or the local dialect.
Famous people with the name Scheefer
- Alexandra Pauline Scheefer: German entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist
- Charlotte Scheefer: German figure skater
- Christian Scheefer: American actor
- Felix Scheefer: French composer
- Justin Scheefer: American film and television actor
- Annina Frey-Scheefer: Swiss actress
- Chris Scheeffer: American racing driver
- Ernie Scheefer: American Major League Baseball pitcher
- Hans Scheeffer: German modern pentathlete
- Joe Scheefer: American television actor and film producer
- Jürgen Scheer: German journalist and politician
- Laura Scheefer: American figure skater
- Mischella Scheefer: American actress
- Peter Scheefer: German rower
- Roger Scheefer: Swiss television presenter and singer
- Stephanie Scheefers: Dutch field hockey player
- Suzanne Scheefer: German rower
- Theodore Scheffer: Swiss painter
- Tommy Scheffler: American professional football football player