Shaner
A surname often explained as a Germanized or anglicized form related to names like Scheiner or Schaner.
The #6,612 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 60,290 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Shaner is generally treated as a German-origin name, though the exact source form is not certain. Historical surname studies suggest it may reflect an anglicized spelling of a German name such as Schaner or Scheiner, with the initial sound simplified in English. Because the surviving evidence is thin and mostly indirect, the literal meaning is not firmly established.
History
In the United States, Shaner appears among surnames of German-speaking immigrant families whose names were often reshaped in spelling and pronunciation after immigration. The form is found in several American records, but the name is not common enough to have a large, well-documented family history in standard reference works. The 1902 onomastic note provided here links Shaner to a German surname form, but does not supply a full derivation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
American surname spellings often shifted when German names were written down by English-speaking clerks, which is one reason a form like Shaner can have several possible relatives on paper.
From the historical record
“Seyfert, p. 308 Shaner= Schb'ner, Shaub = Schaub, Shearer = Scherer, Sheeleigh = Schillig, Sheets = Schiitz, Sherrick = Scherck,”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names