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Schaft Family History

Schaft Surname Meaning

German and Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a maker of wooden shafts for tools or weapons from Middle High German, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schaft. Compare Shaft.

Dutch (Van der Schaft): topographic name of the same origin as 1 above possibly for someone who lived by a long hollow or a habitational name for someone from Schaft in North Brabant.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Schaft family from?

You can see how Schaft families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Schaft family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1840 and 1920. The most Schaft families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 3 Schaft families living in Glamorgan. This was 100% of all the recorded Schaft's in United Kingdom. Glamorgan had the highest population of Schaft families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Schaft surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Schaft ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Bookkeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Schaft. 34% of Schaft men worked as a Laborer and 100% of Schaft women worked as a Bookkeeper.

View Census Data for Schaft | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    34%
  • Miner
    23%
  • Shipping Clerk
    23%
  • Farmer
    23%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Bookkeeper
    100%

What Schaft family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 774 census records available for the last name Schaft. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Schaft census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Schaft

Passenger Lists

There are 350 immigration records available for the last name Schaft. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Schaft immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Schaft. For the veterans among your Schaft ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Schaft military records

You've only scratched the surface of Schaft family history

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What is the average Schaft lifespan?

Between 1967 and 2003, in the United States, Schaft life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2003, and highest in 1995. The average life expectancy for Schaft in 1967 was 68, and 38 in 2003.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Schaft

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Schaft ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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