Schachter

Schachter is a surname of Germanic origin, an Anglicized form of Schächter, an occupational name derived from the German word schächter meaning butcher or slaughterer. It is found among German-speaking communities and in Ashkenazi Jewish populations, with variants including Schächter and Shachter.

Notable uses of the name include its association with psychology through the Schachter-Singer two-factor theory of emotion. Stanley Schachter, an American social psychologist, is renowned for developing this theory with Jerome E. Singer. The two-factor theory posits that emotion results from the combination of physiological arousal and cognitive labeling of that arousal, rather than from arousal alone. The theory has influenced research on emotion, attribution, and social judgment, and it remains a reference point in discussions of how people interpret bodily states.

Beyond this, individuals bearing the Schachter surname have contributed across academia and culture, reflecting the surname’s dispersion from its Germanic origins into various regions and languages. The name is one of many occupational surnames that spread and adapted as populations moved and communities interacted.