Find out how popular the last name Drager is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Drager.

Drager, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Drager surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Drager in America

Drager is the 22201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Drager surname appeared 1,162 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Drager.

We can also compare 2010 data for Drager to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Drager

The surname Drager has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German word "tragen," which means "to carry" or "to bear." It was initially an occupational surname given to individuals whose profession involved carrying or transporting goods.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Drager was prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where trade routes and merchant activities were flourishing. Records from this period show variations in the spelling, such as Drager, Traeger, and Treger.

One of the earliest known references to the name Drager can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This manuscript mentions individuals with the surname Drager engaged in various professions, including merchants and porters.

During the 14th century, the name Drager began to appear in other regions of Germany, such as Franconia and Swabia, as people migrated and settled in new areas. One notable figure from this period was Hans Drager, a wealthy merchant from Nuremberg, who lived between 1375 and 1438.

In the 16th century, the surname Drager was also found in the Low Countries, particularly in the Netherlands and Belgium, due to the close ties between these regions and Germany. Johannes Drager, a Dutch painter born in 1547, was a prominent figure of his time.

The 17th century saw the spread of the Drager name across different parts of Europe, including France and England. In France, the name was often spelled as Draguerre or Draguer, while in England, it was anglicized to Drager or Dragger. One notable individual from this period was Sir Robert Drager, an English politician and landowner who lived from 1620 to 1685.

As the centuries progressed, the Drager surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, scholars, and military leaders. Johann Drager, a German composer and organist born in 1730, made significant contributions to the world of music.

Other notable figures with the surname Drager include Friedrich Drager, a German chemist and inventor born in 1821, who is credited with developing the first modern respirator for firefighters and miners, and Wilhelm Drager, a German engineer and entrepreneur born in 1888, who founded the Dräger company, a renowned manufacturer of medical and safety equipment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Drager

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Drager.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Drager was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Drager has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Drager was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Drager, please contact us.

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