2000
#1,898
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.44
Uncommon Last name
Cagle
Derived from a German nickname meaning "tall and lanky," or from a German place name meaning "enclosed area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,868 Americans carry the last name Cagle. That puts it at #2,149 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cagle 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
19K
1 in 18,166
Census rank
#2,149
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,454 bearers of the surname Cagle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2149th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cagle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cagle
The surname Cagle has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cagel," which means "shackle" or "fetter." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a locksmith or a jailer.
In the early records, the name appears with various spellings such as Cagel, Cagill, and Caggill. One of the earliest documented references to the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1273, where a person named Richard Cagel is mentioned.
The Cagle surname is also associated with several place names in England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. For instance, there is a village called Caggill in Yorkshire, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cagle family began to spread across different parts of England. One notable bearer of the name was John Cagle, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of York in the late 16th century.
As the Cagle family continued to grow and migrate, some members eventually made their way to the American colonies in the 18th century. One of the earliest recorded Cagles in America was James Cagle, who was born in Virginia in 1745.
In the 19th century, several individuals with the Cagle surname made significant contributions in various fields. For example, William Cagle (1821-1889) was a renowned lawyer and politician from Tennessee, while John W. Cagle (1832-1908) was a Baptist minister and educator from North Carolina.
Other notable Cagles throughout history include George W. Cagle (1845-1921), a Union Army veteran and farmer from Illinois, and Samuel P. Cagle (1856-1935), a successful businessman and landowner from Texas.
The Cagle surname has continued to be passed down through generations, with many bearers of the name making their mark across different professions and regions. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the Cagle name has become a part of the rich tapestry of family histories in various parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cagle
Among Census respondents with the surname Cagle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cagle 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 Cagle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.9% · 14,456
- Two or more races4.6% · 756
- Black or African American3.1% · 507
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 466
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cagle
Cagle 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
#2,039
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,647
+267 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 5.98
Rank movement Down 141 places
2020
#2,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,454
-1,193 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 5.50
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,898 | 17,380 | 6.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,039 | 17,647 | 5.98 | +267 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 141 places |
| 2020 | #2,149 | 16,454 | 5.50 | -1,193 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 110 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 Cagle 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 | #2,039 | #2,149 | -5.4% |
| Count | 17,647 | 16,454 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.98 | 5.50 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cagle bearers went from 17,647 to 16,454 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,039 to #2,149.
FAQ
Cagle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cagle?
Name Census estimates that about 18,868 living Americans carry the surname Cagle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,166 residents.
How common is Cagle?
Cagle ranks #2,149 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,454 people with the surname Cagle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Cagle.
Has Cagle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cagle went from 17,647 recorded bearers to 16,454. That is a decrease of 1,193 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,039 to #2,149.
What does the Census say about the background of Cagle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cagle, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Cagle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.9% (14,456 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cagle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Black (3.1%). 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 Cagle (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 Cagle mean?
Derived from a German nickname meaning "tall and lanky," or from a German place name meaning "enclosed area." 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 Cagle (5.50 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 Cagle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.