2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ages
Derived from a place name or a patronymic surname meaning "son of Age" in Middle English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Ages. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ages surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Ages in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ages, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.7%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (9.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ages
The surname AGES is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is speculated to have derived from the Old English word "ag," which referred to an oak tree or a meadow. This surname may have initially been used as a topographic name, indicating that the bearer lived near an oak tree or in a meadowish area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname AGES can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, where a person named Radulfus de Agas was mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name may have been influenced by the Norman-French language during the Norman Conquest of England.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire documented an individual named John de la Haghe, which is believed to be another early spelling variation of the surname AGES. This record provides insight into the possible connection between the name and a location or topographical feature.
The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 included an entry for a person named John Atte Haghe, further indicating the evolution of the surname's spelling over time.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname AGES was Sir Richard Ages (c. 1535-1596), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Rye in 1589. Another prominent individual was John Ages (c. 1600-1665), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Pulborough in Sussex.
In the 17th century, the surname AGES appeared in various parish records across England, such as the baptismal record of William Ages in St. Mary's Church, Chelmsford, Essex, in 1634. Additionally, the marriage record of Thomas Ages and Mary Bower was documented in St. Mary's Church, Newington, Surrey, in 1674.
The surname AGES also has connections to place names. For instance, the village of Agen in Somerset, England, which was recorded as "Aghene" in the Domesday Book of 1086, may have influenced the surname's spelling and origin.
By the 18th century, the surname AGES had spread across various regions of England, as evidenced by the records of individuals like John Ages (1720-1795), a prominent landowner in Northamptonshire, and William Ages (1752-1822), a respected merchant from Yorkshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ages
Among Census respondents with the surname Ages, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.7%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (9.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ages bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ages surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.7% · 52
- Black or African American43.7% · 52
- Two or more races9.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ages
Ages appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+12 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 9,840 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ages surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #152,628 | #142,788 | 6.4% |
| Count | 107 | 119 | 11.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ages bearers went from 107 to 119 (+11.2% change). The surname moved up 9,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #142,788.
FAQ
Ages surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ages?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Ages. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Ages?
Ages ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Ages. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ages.
Has Ages become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ages went from 107 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 12 (+11.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Ages?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ages, the largest self-reported group is White at 43.7%. The next largest groups are Black (43.7%) and Two or More Races (9.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ages in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.7% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ages appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (43.7%), Black (43.7%), Two or More Races (9.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ages (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ages mean?
Derived from a place name or a patronymic surname meaning "son of Age" in Middle English. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ages (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Ages?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.