Schaefer is an alternative spelling and cognate for the German word''schäfer'', meaning 'shepherd', which itself descends from the Old High German ''scāphare''. Variants "Shaefer", "Schäfer" (a standardized spelling in many German-speaking countries after 1880), the additional alternative spelling "Schäffer", and the anglicised forms "Schaeffer", "Schaffer", "Shaffer", "Shafer", and "Schafer" are all common surnames.
Provided by Wikipedia