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Home › Baby Names Directory › Shafter

Shafter

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Shafter

Pronounced SHAF-tur /ˈʃæftər/Medium

Meaning: Shafter is an English surname adopted as a first name, from a place name combining a word for a shaft or pole with a ford or crossing. It appears as a boys' name in a sharp burst around 1898, when American families named sons for General William Rufus Shafter, who commanded United States forces in the Cuba campaign of the Spanish-American War.Low

In 30 seconds: Shafter is a surname given as a boys' name, from 'ford by a shaft.' It appeared in a patriotic burst around 1898 for General William Shafter, and stayed rare (said SHAF-tur).
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Origin LowEnglish
MeaningShafter is an English surname adopted as a first name, from a place name combining a word for a shaft or pole with a ford or crossing. It appears as a boys' name in a sharp burst around 1898, when American families named sons for General William Rufus Shafter, who commanded United States forces in the Cuba campaign of the Spanish-American War.
U.S. rank (1942)#3517 ↘ Falling
1942 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1898
Total births (all-time)≈ 119

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 189818981942

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Shafter is an English place-and-surname name meaning roughly 'ford by a shaft or pole.' Its brief American life as a first name was a burst of wartime patriotism: around 1898 families honored General William Rufus Shafter, commander in the Cuban campaign, by giving his surname to newborn sons.

Shafter never became a standing name, given to only about fourteen boys a year at its turn-of-the-century peak and fading within a generation. A boy named Shafter then would be long past, and the name survives today mainly as a California town also named for the general.

Did you know? Almost every American boy named Shafter was born within a few years of 1898, when General William Shafter led United States troops in the Spanish-American War.
Overall data confidence 50%
References - Shafter — English surname 'ford by a shaft'; 1898 naming spike for Gen. William R. Shafter (Spanish-American War).

Variations

SchafterShafterShafto

Nicknames

ShafShafe

Famous Bearers

  • ★William Rufus Shafter (1835-1906)
    United States Army general who commanded American forces in the Cuba campaign of the Spanish-American War; the naming spike around 1898 honored him.

If you like Shafter…

Carter— a like -er surname name
Chester— a fellow turn-of-century surname name
Foster— a similar occupational surname name
Dexter— a related two-syllable surname name

Explore names like Shafter

By themeenglishsurnamenamesake

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Shafter mean?

It is an English surname and place name meaning 'ford by a shaft or pole,' given to boys around 1898 in honor of General William Shafter.

How do you pronounce Shafter?

It is said SHAF-tur /ˈʃæftər/ - two syllables, with the stress on the first.

Is Shafter a boy or girl name?

Shafter is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Shafter?

It was always rare in the United States, appearing in a brief patriotic burst around the turn of the twentieth century and fading soon after.

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