2000
#32,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Armagost
A surname derived from the French "armé" meaning armed and "gost" meaning war guest or soldier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 744 Americans carry the last name Armagost. That puts it at #36,981 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 460,691 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Armagost 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
744
1 in 460,691
Census rank
#36,981
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
649
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 649 bearers of the surname Armagost in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 36981st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Armagost, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Armagost
The surname Armagost has its origins in the German language, with the earliest known records dating back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from a combination of the Germanic words "arme" meaning "arm" and "gast" meaning "guest" or "stranger."
One of the earliest documented references to the name Armagost can be found in the records of the town of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Armagost is mentioned as a resident in the year 1492. This suggests that the surname was already well-established in the region by that time.
The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the areas around the cities of Munich and Nuremberg, where several families bearing the Armagost surname are recorded in church records and municipal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the late 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Armagost (1562-1631) rose to prominence as a skilled clockmaker and mechanical engineer. His innovations in the design and construction of intricate timepieces earned him widespread recognition and patronage from various noble families across Europe.
Another individual of note was Margarethe Armagost (1598-1673), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the city of Regensburg. Her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and traditional remedies made her a respected figure in her community, and her writings on the subject were widely circulated during her lifetime.
During the 17th century, the Armagost surname also appeared in various records from the nearby regions of Franconia and Swabia, suggesting that the name had spread beyond its initial Bavarian origins. One notable example is the case of Matthias Armagost (1625-1701), a successful merchant and landowner from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
As the centuries progressed, the Armagost name continued to be found in various parts of Germany, as well as in neighboring countries such as Austria and Switzerland, where German-speaking populations had settled.
Among the more recent historical figures bearing the Armagost surname was Karl Armagost (1842-1918), a prominent German philosopher and academic who taught at the University of Heidelberg. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In conclusion, the surname Armagost has a rich and diverse history that can be traced back to its Germanic origins in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. While not a particularly common name, it has been borne by notable individuals across various fields, from clockmaking and medicine to philosophy and academia, leaving a lasting mark on the cultural and intellectual landscape of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Armagost
Among Census respondents with the surname Armagost, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Armagost 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 Armagost surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 581
- Two or more races4.2% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 6
- Black or African American0.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Armagost
Armagost 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
#34,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 656
-17 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,228 places
2020
#36,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 649
-7 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,486 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,267 | 673 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,495 | 656 | 0.22 | -17 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 2,228 places |
| 2020 | #36,981 | 649 | 0.22 | -7 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 2,486 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 Armagost 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 | #34,495 | #36,981 | -7.2% |
| Count | 656 | 649 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.22 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Armagost bearers went from 656 to 649 (-1.1% change). The surname moved down 2,486 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,495 to #36,981.
FAQ
Armagost surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Armagost?
Name Census estimates that about 744 living Americans carry the surname Armagost. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 460,691 residents.
How common is Armagost?
Armagost ranks #36,981 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 649 people with the surname Armagost. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (744), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Armagost.
Has Armagost become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Armagost went from 656 recorded bearers to 649. That is a decrease of 7 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,495 to #36,981.
What does the Census say about the background of Armagost?
Among Census respondents with the surname Armagost, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Armagost in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (581 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Armagost appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Armagost (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 Armagost mean?
A surname derived from the French "armé" meaning armed and "gost" meaning war guest or soldier. 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 Armagost (0.22 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 Americans have the surname Armagost?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.