Boys' name · since 1990
Shafer
125 babies named Shafer in U.S. Social Security records since 1990, with the highest year being 1994. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #15,981 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 125
- born since 1990
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shafer is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 125 have been recorded since 1990.
Shafer has 125 recorded births among boys since 1990, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1990 to 2018.
- #15,981 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- 125 born since 1990
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Shafer ranks #15,981 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 125 born since 1990, peaking in the 1990s.
- #15,981 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- 125
- born since 1990
- 1990s
- peak decade
Shafer's 125 recorded births place it above 64.84% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Shafer's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Shafer's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 48% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 52%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1991, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1994 peak of 11, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Shafer popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1990–2018
- Peak year (1994)
- 11
- Annual births at peak, across 29 years of records
Shafer by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (48 births, 38% of the file).
1990s was Shafer's strongest decade.
48 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 38% of all-time use.
Shafer births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s
1990s
48 births
- 2000s
2000s
48 births
- 2010s
2010s
29 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 48 births (38% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shafer? ▼
Where does Shafer sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Shafer most popular? ▼
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What to do with Shafer's data
- Shafer's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (48 total births) through the 2010s (29) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shafer
Nearby Names Like Shafer
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shafer
Compare Shafer side by side: Shafer vs Shawn Shafer vs Shane Shafer vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Shafer: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1994)
Similar record span (~28 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1990–2018 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Shafer draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.