Where does “Schäfer” come from?

Schäfer (German) comes from Latin pāstor, from Latin pāscō, from Proto-Italic pāskō, from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- — to protect; to shepherd.

Schäfer (German): shepherd

Definitions

  1. shepherd

Ancestry of “Schäfer”, step by step

Schäfer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin pāstor

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinpāstorA person who tends sheep; shepherd
2Latinpāscōto feed, nourish, maintain, support
3Proto-Italicpāskōto feed; to pasture
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpeh₂-to protect; to shepherd

via Middle High German schæfære

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanschæfære—
2Old High Germanscāphare—

Words derived from “Schäfer”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European peh₂- →Every word from Proto-Italic pāskō →Every word from Latin pāscō →