2000
#13,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,039
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Anger
A surname of German origin, derived from a nickname for a quick-tempered or easily angered person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,463 Americans carry the last name Anger. That puts it at #13,530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anger 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Anger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 139,161
Census rank
#13,530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,148 bearers of the surname Anger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anger, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anger
The surname Anger has its origins in Germany, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "angar," which translates to "meadow" or "grassland." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked on meadows or grasslands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Anger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the principality of Anhalt, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Anger," "Angere," and "Anghir," indicating regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
In the 14th century, the Anger name gained prominence in the town of Nuremberg, where several members of the family were involved in the city's influential guilds and trade associations. One notable figure was Hans Anger, a successful merchant and member of the wealthy patrician class, who lived from 1380 to 1452.
As the centuries passed, the Anger surname spread across different regions of Germany and beyond. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Austrian region of Tyrol, where they became prominent landowners and local officials. Johann Anger, born in 1520 and died in 1587, was a respected judge and mayor in the town of Schwaz.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several scholars and intellectuals bearing the Anger name. One such figure was Johann Caspar Anger, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1619 to 1675. His works on metaphysics and natural philosophy were widely read and influential during his time.
In the 19th century, the Anger name gained international recognition through the accomplishments of Friedrich Anger, a German chemist and inventor born in 1812. He is best known for his contributions to the development of the first practical coal tar dye, which paved the way for the modern synthetic dye industry.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Anger, a German painter and illustrator born in 1856. His intricate and detailed depictions of rural life and landscapes earned him widespread acclaim, and his works are now part of several prestigious art collections around the world.
These examples illustrate the rich history and diverse accomplishments associated with the surname Anger, which has left an indelible mark across various fields and regions throughout its centuries-long journey.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anger
Among Census respondents with the surname Anger, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Anger 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 Anger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 1,881
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 98
- Black or African American4.2% · 91
- Two or more races2.8% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anger
Anger appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,985
-54 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,265 places
2020
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,148
+163 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 1,383 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,648 | 2,039 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,913 | 1,985 | 0.67 | -54 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,265 places |
| 2020 | #13,530 | 2,148 | 0.72 | +163 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 1,383 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 Anger 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 | #14,913 | #13,530 | 9.3% |
| Count | 1,985 | 2,148 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.72 | 7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anger bearers went from 1,985 to 2,148 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 1,383 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,913 to #13,530.
FAQ
Anger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,463 living Americans carry the surname Anger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,161 residents.
How common is Anger?
Anger ranks #13,530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,148 people with the surname Anger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,463), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Anger.
Has Anger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anger went from 1,985 recorded bearers to 2,148. That is an increase of 163 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,913 to #13,530.
What does the Census say about the background of Anger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anger, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Anger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (1,881 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (4.6%), Black (4.2%). 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 Anger (2000, 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 Anger mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a nickname for a quick-tempered or easily angered person. 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 Anger (0.72 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 are called Anger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Anger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.