Cager
A masculine name derived from the word "cage," suggesting confinement or restraint.
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Cager. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cager today is around 28 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cager births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cager. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Cager. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
28
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,037
Tracked since 1893
Popularity
Cager: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cager from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cager by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cager during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cager
The name Cager has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Old English word "cæg," which means "key" or "lock." This suggests that the name may have been associated with professions involving keys or locksmithing in its early history.
During the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, the name Cager was primarily found in the regions of Wessex and Mercia, where Old English was the predominant language. It was not uncommon for people to be named after their occupations or traits during this time, which could explain the name's connection to keys or locks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cager can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a man named Cager the Smith, suggesting that he may have been a blacksmith or metalworker.
In the 12th century, a monk named Cager of Canterbury is mentioned in the chronicles of the Benedictine abbey of St. Augustine's in Canterbury. He is said to have been a skilled scribe and calligrapher, renowned for his beautiful handwriting and illuminated manuscripts.
During the Middle Ages, the name Cager appeared in various historical records and documents, indicating its continued usage. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Cager de Montfort (c. 1230-1291), a English knight and military commander who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III.
In the 16th century, a renowned English playwright and poet named Cager Jonson (c. 1572-1637) gained fame for his works, including the famous comedies "The Alchemist" and "Volpone." He is considered one of the leading literary figures of the Jacobean era.
Another historical figure with the name Cager was Cager Stukeley (c. 1687-1765), a renowned English antiquarian, naturalist, and writer. He is best known for his extensive travels and studies of ancient monuments and archaeological sites across Britain and Europe.
People
Cager + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cager as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cager: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cager?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cager going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Cager a common name?
We classify Cager as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cager most popular?
The single biggest year for Cager was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cager is about 28 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cager in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cager a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cager in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cager still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cager in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cager can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Cager?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.