Total births
43
Boys' name · since 1971
Shaffer
Shaffer has 43 recorded births since 1971 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2002 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- 43
- total births
- 1971–2011
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 37%
- born in that decade
Shaffer is not among the current top-ranked boys names; 43 have been recorded since 1971.
Shaffer has 43 recorded births among boys since 1971, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used boys names, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2011.
- 43 total births
- 1971–2011 years on record
- 2000s peak decade
- 37% born in that decade
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
43 boys have been named Shaffer since 1971, peaking in the 2000s, last recorded in 2011.
- 43
- total births
- 1971–2011
- years on record
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 37%
- born in that decade
2000s
Peak decade
37% of everyone ever named Shaffer was born in this single decade.
2002
Single peak year
9 babies were named Shaffer in 2002 - its busiest year on record.
Shaffer's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Shaffer splits its recorded history at 1995: 60% of all births land in the more recent half, 40% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1971 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2002 peak of 9 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Shaffer at a glance
Last recorded 2011Peak year
2002
Current rank
Unranked
Active since
1971
Shaffer popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2011
- Peak year (2002)
- 9
- Annual births at peak, across 41 years of records
Shaffer by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Shaffer's strongest decade.
16 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Shaffer births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s
1970s
10 births
- 1980s
1980s
7 births
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s
2000s
16 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 16 births (37% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Shaffer? ▼
43 babies have been named Shaffer since 1971. It was last recorded in 2011. The peak year was 2002 with 9 births.
When was Shaffer most popular? ▼
Shaffer was most popular in the 2000s decade with 16 total births. The single peak year was 2002.
How long has the name Shaffer been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Shaffer since 1971 -- 41 years through the most recent 2011 data.
What names are similar to Shaffer? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Shawn, Shane, Shaun, Shannon, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Shaffer's data
- Shaffer's decade-level peak was the 2000s (16 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Shaffer
Nearby Names Like Shaffer
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Shaffer
Shawn Boy
#637 306,542 births
Shane Boy
#601 192,583 births
Shaun Boy
#1567 70,481 births
Shannon Boy
#2597 52,379 births
Shayne Boy
#4006 10,741 births
Compare Shaffer side by side: Shaffer vs Shawn Shaffer vs Shane Shaffer vs Shaun
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Data Sources
Data as of July 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, 1971–2011 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Shaffer: Baby Name Since 1971 - 43 Births, Peak 2002." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/shaffer. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Shaffer 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 July 2026.