Trager
A German name associated with carrying or bearing.
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Trager. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Trager today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Trager births was 2014 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Trager. 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 Trager. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
2014
8 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2016 SSA rank
#10,627
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Trager: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Trager 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 Trager during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 15 | 0 | 15 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Trager
The given name Trager has its origins in the German language, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the German word "tragen," which means "to carry" or "to bear." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with occupations or roles that involved carrying or transporting goods or materials.
During the medieval period, the name Trager was predominantly found in the Germanic regions of central and western Europe, particularly in areas where German dialects were spoken. Records from the 13th and 14th centuries show instances of individuals bearing this name, although its use was not widespread.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name Trager can be found in a medieval German text from the 15th century, which mentions a merchant named Hans Trager who traded in textiles and spices along the Rhine River. This provides evidence of the name's presence and usage during that era.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johannes Trager (1497-1564) gained recognition as a Protestant reformer and theologian in Saxony, Germany. He played a significant role in the spread of Lutheran teachings and the establishment of Protestant churches in the region.
During the 17th century, a Dutch painter named Pieter Jansz Trager (1608-1681) became known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in the Netherlands. His works are preserved in various museums and art collections across Europe.
In the 19th century, a German-American engineer named Johann Trager (1822-1891) made a name for himself as a pioneer in the field of bridge construction. He designed and oversaw the building of several notable bridges across the United States, including the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York City.
Another notable figure bearing the name Trager was the Austrian-born American architect and artist Alfred Trager (1888-1974). He was renowned for his innovative architectural designs and his contributions to the Art Deco movement in the early 20th century.
These examples illustrate the historical presence and significance of the given name Trager across various fields, including religion, art, engineering, and architecture, spanning several centuries and regions where German cultural influences were prevalent.
People
Trager + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Trager as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Trager: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Trager?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Trager 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Trager a common name?
We classify Trager as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Trager most popular?
The single biggest year for Trager was 2014, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Trager is about 11 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 Trager in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Trager a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Trager 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 Trager still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Trager 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 Trager 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 share the name Trager?
Want to know how many people have the name Trager? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.